Second Chance
by M4a1andbarrets
Summary: Most people think that dying is a bad omen and that getting killed is the worst way to go. But what If I told you that it wasn't? Being sent to Remnant has it's ups and downs, but overall, it is awesome. Just have to avoid the White Fang, Cinder and her cronies, and deal with school projects. I know. Awesome right? (SI/OC)
1. Prologue

Hey guys, M4 here. This will be my fanfic, Second Chance, with the help of Beta Reader, Captain Price. Now, I just want to say somethings before the chapter.I will try to post this every few weeks on this fic, but if I can't, then be patient.

I'm still new to this Beta Reader process but I will get use to it. Captain is also human, so if I can't post weekly, it's probably because he is still looking over the chapter.

But, I am finally BACK from the hell that is school. Now, on with the chapter.

* * *

Luck.

That word itself can describe my whole life. Most chalk up the word to coincidence, but I was one of those guys that really believed it, and for good reason.

It was with luck that I was even born, because like some babies, the umbilical cord got wrapped around my neck. Almost got robbed of life right there.

It was luck that I went through school without hurting people. Now, don't think that means I'm a psychopath or that I have fantasies of doing that. Everyone has their limit and gets triggered eventually. For me, I was bullied a lot and it was very hard not to lash out at those that made me their target.

In all honesty, if it wasn't for the school guidance counselor, I'd probably be in juvie right now. Every time I got close to snapping, I just had to walk in and vent to him. He was really chill, and he helped me calm down a lot. Everything from bullies, to some of my fellow JROTC cadets that would shit talk me when I had my back turned, he'd listen.

Like all luck, it eventually ran out. And today, it gave me the old "fuck you," finger and all. You wouldn't expect it with the way the day started. You know, beautiful day with the sun shining and it being all warm.

I guess if I had to think about it, it started when I got my math test back this morning. That red ink mocked me in the form of a capital F at the top of it with a "see me," note to go with it. Then I got yelled at by some of those gym jocks. You know, those guys that are all chest and have no fuckin' neck to go with that? Then the cherry on top of it, it started to rain just before school let out.

Maybe it was because I ratted out those stoners on the fifth floor for smoking pot? Man, I don't even know anymore. I just want to get home and put this day behind me.

I sighed as I adjusted the headphones in my ear. False Pretense by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus continued to play in my ears and drowned out the falling rain as I continued walking, my feet making small splashes in the forming puddles. It was an old song, sure, but I liked it.

The New York skyline was overcast as the rain continued to fall and pelt the buildings resembling bullets as it hit the glass. The buildings themselves stretched up so high, it was sometimes hard to tell where they stopped. It may have been a cool sight for those non-city people, but to me? It wasn't special. It was just cramped and congested.

I reached in my pocket and took out my wallet. Taking out my metro card, I quickly put my wallet back and kept walking down the street.

Memories from my day began to crawl from the back of my mind again. My lips curled into a sharp frown and my fists clenched just a bit as I saw the faces of those jocks and those stones. The way they looked at me like I was lesser than them. Nothing but a nuisance.

My knuckles cracked from stress. It was no different than those bullies!

If I had to guess why I was bullied, I'd put all my money on it being my height and because I am the quiet kid in the classroom. I'm in the tenth grade and I'm five-four, barely the same size as some of the girls in my grade.

Keeping to myself was the best way to avoid the bullying, even if it was for a little bit. That doesn't mean I didn't have friends. I had a few in my corner, but I didn't feel that they should be trusted, a gut instinct I had. Now, maybe it was paranoia because of all the shit talkers around me, but let's be real. Everyone talks crap about each other.

Shaking my head, I stopped at the corner of the street. I knew this route well and I knew exactly where I was. Out of the corner of my eye to the right, I could see the Marine Corps Recruiting Center. It was always an inspirational sight to me, especially after a crappy day.

I stepped up to the window and looked up at the cutouts in it. The Marine looked sharp. It was the same guy in the cutout, but one was of him in the dress blue uniform and the other decked out in full battle rattle. His eyes were set in a look of fierce determination. Like nothing could stop him, and that he would utterly mess up anything that messed with him. It screamed confidence and self-assurance.

Inside I could see one of the recruiters at a desk and sifting through papers. He looked up towards the window and stared at me. He offered me a small smile and a nod of acknowledgement before returning to work.

I sighed and kept walking. Why I can't I be like those guys? The guys who aren't afraid to fight or stand up for what they believe in. The guys who will always be there when the situation calls for it. I want to enlist, but age kept me from doing so. The second I turned seventeen, you can bet I'll join. Just need my parents' signature to do it.

Not saying the other branches are bad or anything, but my family comes from a long line of Marines and well. It almost felt like an obligation to join the family business.

I pulled out my phone, and stared at the picture of the Defenders. There was Iron Fist, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage.

Why can't I be like these guys?

Why I can't be any of these people? The answer was simple.

I. Am. A. Coward.

Or, at least I think so. People say that me not fighting the bullies is "admirable," but I say it as it is.

Cowardice.

A loud boom echoed in the sky and towards the ground. The thunder had caught me off guard and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

As the rain poured faster, I just kept walking. Usually a normal person would be running to the trains, buses, or bodegas to get away from the rain. But, because of the shitty day I had, I pulled my hood on and kept walking, lugging my heavy bag on my back.

"Aye, pussy!"

Turning to the sound of the voice, I saw three guys walking towards me. Two of them armed with baseball bats. They were taller than me, and had more bodyweight in the form of fat and muscle.

It was the same group I ratted out from the fifth floor.

...

...

Run.

Dropping my bag, I turned heel and ran as fast as I could. I heard them shouting vile things at me as they gave chase. As, I ran I hoped that anyone I passed would see it and call the cops.

I slipped as I rounded a corner and bolted down an alley. The adrenaline pumped through me and I could hear my heart pound in my ears. In a frantic attempt to slow them down, I pulled the lid off of a garbage bin and threw it. It whooshed through the air, but I didn't watch as I continued my mad dash. I could only assume I got one of them from the cry of anger.

Making another left on a corner, I stopped. My blood ran cold and a chill went down my spine.

No…

It was a dead end. Like those movie clichés, I was caught like a fucking rat.

Turning around, I was greeted by with the three thugs that were chasing me. Blood was coming out of the nose of the leader.

Their faces were alight and twisted grins plays on their lips.

"Let's show this punk what happens to snitches," said the first.

Now, I should point out that I have taken lessons in Krav Maga as a confidence booster and if I ever got into a situation like this. This would be the moment of truth, but realistically speaking, the odds were not in my favor.

Mustering up whatever courage I could, I raised my shaking fists. My whole body shook, and it was something I mentally kicked myself for. Scared out of my mind.

They came at me like a swarm of angry bees. Not one of those fights you see on TV or movies where it's one on one with each guy. No rules out here. I got attacked from all sides.

I managed to duck under a swing and swung my hand for a grapple. It closed around the neck of one and I used whatever momentum I could. My body left the ground as I spun around the guy to box myself between him and the wall.

The thug let out a strained cry and went rigid as the bat from the second hit him in the back. I went to push off the wall, but white hot pain flooded by arm. The thug that missed me initially was quick with striking again and crushed my arm.

I tried to hang on, but I couldn't. My arm fell to my side and I grit my teeth fighting back tears of pain.

I need to get out of here!

Pain shot through me again when a fist connected with my face and crushed my nose. I barely had time to register the hit when the third thug grabbed my shattered arm and pulled up to hoist me in the air.

A scream tore from my throat when he did that, and my struggle became more frantic. My legs flailed wildly like fish that landed on the deck of a boat. The second thug managed to grab my legs and locked them under his arms.

The lead thug took the bat the third one dropped on the ground and towered over me. He gripped the bat tightly and looked down at me, the smirk still present on his face. His arms raised high and I immediately braced for the incoming hit.

The air left my lungs and I let out another scream as the bet smashed on my stomach. A warm, sharp throb pulsed through my stomach and I did everything I could to stifle my whimper. Blood continued to gush from my nose and over my lips.

Another hard smash came, this time on my ribs. I let loose the loudest scream of the day so far. This time I felt something snap like a toothpick and cut inside of me. Blood splattered on my shirt when I let out a series of sputters.

"Put the bitch down," said the leader.

Were they done?

The lead thug's friends dropped me on the ground and I felt water splash all around me. Rain continued to pour and soak my battered body. In a desperate attempt to shield myself from further harm, I curled into a fetal position.

My face scrunched up as the sharp pains shot through me again and again. I managed to open my eyes to look up at my attackers. I guess if I tried to find a silver lining in this, they couldn't see I was crying with all of the rain that was rushing down my face.

My eyes cracked open just enough to see the three thugs standing over me. I was immediately drawn to the one in the middle who was reaching for the back of his pants. My heart began to pound hard and fast again with fresh anxiety and adrenaline.

What was he pulling out?

His hand came back a moment later and in it was a pistol. It was a menacing black.

I tried to move my legs, but my mind was frozen. It could only focus on the fresh magazine being loaded into the pistol and the round being locked into the chamber as the slide was drawn back.

The thug then pointed it right at me and my mouth went dry. My breaths were coming in like rapid fire and my body started shaking again.

"Any last words, bitch?" He smirked at me.

First it was fear that had been racing through me, but now it was just anger. This jerk off ganged up on me with his friends and would gloat how they killed me with the rest of the losers in their group.

It pissed me off.

Fighting through the pain, I clenched my fists and glared right back at the gun bearing thug. I'm sure if looks could kill he would have burst into flames, but this would settle for now. My nerves had settled and my body was steady. I wasn't going to go out scared.

"Go fuck yourself asshole." I said.

The thug's eyes widened briefly before resting in furious glare. He took aim with the pistol and the barrel was just at the tip of my forehead.

Guess I wasn't a coward...for once.

* * *

"Rise my son."

Opening my eyes, I found myself sitting in a white room in front of a desk. Looking around, there was nothing. No window, no sunlight, nothing but white.

The desk in front of me offered a break in the endless white as it was a solid black. There was a large chair behind it with its back turned.

"Who's there?" I asked shifting in my seat.

I know I heard a voice a second ago. My foot began to tap nervously on the floor.

Where the hell was I? Last I remember I was in that alley and…

I leaned forward in my seat and covered my mouth in realization. That punk actually followed through. He went and blew my brains out.

"That depends where you stand religiously," the voice said.

So, where was I? Heaven? Hell? Well, probably not the last one, but still. I was in the middle of nowhere.

Finding my voice again, I spoke up.

"Are you God?"

As far as I'm concerned, I'm a Catholic. I wasn't given the religion by choice, it was forced upon me. When you have a mother who is afraid of public school and forces you to go to catholic school, religion is shoved down your throat.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing wrong with the religion. I just hate how it was forced upon me.

If I want to learn something, it will be on my own terms

A chuckle followed after my question.

"No. And before you ask, I'm not Jesus, either."

The chair turned around and revealed an old man.

Holy crap, the amount of white this guy wore could make the Schnees jealous.

He was wearing a white suit that had two blue dragons on the front with their bodies intertwining with each other. It allowed more of his physical features to be put on display. He had silver eyes, silver hair, and he was clean shaven. Almost looking like some angel businessman.

"Who are you?" I asked, still trying to come to terms of what happened.

"We'll keep it simple, so just call me Tex." He smiled lightly. "Going back to what you asked me a second ago, this is what you could call Limbo. A place where only a selected few can have a second chance."

Limbo? What was I doing here? Shouldn't I be standing at the Golden Gates of the entrance of Hell? And what was this about a "second chance?" Just what was going on?

"Second chance of what?" I shook my head, still completely lost.

"A chance to be resurrected. Another chance to live your life," Said Tex as he leaned back in his seat.

"You're shitting me, right?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Far from it. If you're still lost, let me break this down Hamburger Helper style for you. Back on Earth, you are gone with a capital G, buddy. Cutout thug numero uno blew your brains out."

To emphasize his point, Tex made a finger gun and kicked it up to simulate a gunshot. I winced at the memory of being at gunpoint and then waking up here. It was a quick transition, but it didn't make it any less surreal. This was really happening. I was dead, but now I was being offered a second chance of life.

"Well, yeah! Bring me back! I want to get those pricks!"

Tex pinched the bridge of his nose as if to sooth an incoming headache. He let out a small sigh.

"I can bring you back, kid, but you're not going back to Earth," he said.

I shook my head again. Where else can I go then? Earth's the only place I can truly be put. It's not like there's another option. So, what, is it like reincarnation when I start a new life with a new name, new family? That was a messed up package deal.

"What do you mean I'm not going back to Earth?" I asked.

"Again, you're dead. I could bring you back to life, but you'd be a friggin' vegetable, and that's worse than death. It won't be reincarnation, either. You'll still be how you were before you died, although there will be some slight alterations."

This was just getting more frustrating and confusing. My bad day had taken a new turn and reached a new low. I was now in the presence of some angelic being who was offering me a second chance at life through some divine intervention that I could only imagine.

Sighing, I sat back and took account to what he said.

"Then where exactly am I going?" I crossed my arms. "If I can't go back to Earth, where can I go?"

A wry smile spread across Tex's face. He folded his hands under his chin and leaned forward on the desk.

"I'll leave it as a surprise for you, but bottom line, it'll give you the chance to start anew and truly live a life you were meant to live," said Tex.

"Why?" I looked up to meet his eyes. "Out of everyone in the goddamn universe, why am I being offered this choice? What makes me so special? What's in this for you?"

He snapped his fingers, and the desk disappeared. His black shoes clicked with each step he took on the floor. When he stopped, our knees were touching.

"Kid, I'm an angel. I'm one of the few that can choose someone who has shown very rare qualities that most people don't show to start a new life." He put his index finger on my chest. "There's a couple of boxes that have to be checked for that. First, you have to die. You qualify. Second, you have to have some personal traits that stand out. You show true courage. You stood up and fended against those you wanted to hurt you."

I only shook my head at his last sentence.

"That wasn't courage, it was self-defense."

He chuckled.

"Call it what you like. I say it's courage."

He held out his hand for me to take. I went to grab it, but paused.

"You have two options. Take my hand and you will be resurrected in a new world very similar to yours, or call it quits and take your chances and either go to heaven or hell."

Damn... that's actually a hard choice. If I took the chance of being resurrected, what came with that? Would I remember everything from my old life, or would I start from scratch? With the way my luck had gone today, I probably had a higher chance of landing in Hell than Heaven.

...

...

I sat there for what felt like five minutes just staring at Tex's hand and mulling over options he gave me. Either way, I was leaving this place soon. With my mind made up I took his hand and he pulled me to my feet.

"I guess I'll take the new game," I said with as much strength as I could.

Tex's lips curled up in a grin and everything around me began to fade away. The white room slowly began to disappear. Then went the desk. Then the chairs. And even Tex himself started to vanish before my eyes.

"I'm interested in seeing how you live your new life, kid. Don't waste it," said Tex.

Then he was gone.

* * *

Shit.

My eyes fluttered and I turned on my side as the sun pierced them. The bright light stung and sent pulses to my brain. The sharp pain from the front of my head grew and I let out a low groan as I rolled to my face to block out the light.

The first thing I noticed once the throbbing in my head died just a bit, the ground was dry. It didn't smell any better, though. Smelled like a sewer. The thick scent of feces wafted into my nostrils and nearly made me gag.

Somewhere from behind me I could hear vehicles driving by and distant footsteps.

Taking the chance, I opened my eyes. Everything was blurred and it was a struggle to push myself up to sit against the wall. I buried my face in my hands and pushed lightly against my eyes to stop the throbbing again.

I lowered my hands after the pain eased and looked around. I was in another alley, and that made me jump to my feet in surprise.

I was back. Tex really brought me back!

Still in a state of bewilderment, I looked down the alley to the street. The air was cool and raced against me as I dashed to the end of the alley to pinpoint my location. I nearly knocked over a random woman who shot me an annoyed look to which I offered a sheepish apology.

I was in another city, but there were no skyscrapers. This time a lot of the buildings were between two to three stories tall. Shops and apartment complexes filled the block.

I went to take another step, but something else caught my eye. In the window to my left, I saw my reflection, but it made me do a double take. It was not the same reflection I looked at this morning before I went to school, that was for sure.

I was a little taller, not much, but enough to put me around average height. My hair was no longer black, but now brown and somewhat curly. To add to that, I had a little more muscle definition, resembling that of a farm boy. Sadly I still had a couple of pimples, but they were not as pronounced as earlier.

...

...

Oh, my sweet Jesus.

I watched my reflection as it mimicked everything I did. A poke to my face. A random smile. Even a flip of the bird.

This was me, just a little different. Was this one of the alterations Tex was talking about before he brought me back?

I blinked and stepped away from the window. My mind was racing, and I was still trying to come to terms with everything that was happening.

I turned around and looked around the block and the people that walked by me. Everything still looked the same just like it was on Earth. If Tex didn't send me back to Earth like he said…

"Where the fuck am I?"

* * *

Finished. I do hope you guess enjoy my 1st chapter to my re-boot of Second Chance. there will be more coming soon. Now, I did promise you guys a punishment update and I will post it soon, I just have to add some tweaks into the chapter.

Later!


	2. Clean Slate Part 1

**(A/N): Hey guys, M4 here and here is another chapter to Second Chance. It does get a bit emotional in this chapter so keep tissues ready. I do hope you all enjoy this chapter and I will talk to you guys later!**

* * *

 **ALL Beta credit goes to CaptainPrice. I do not own RWBY. All credit goes to Roosterteeth and Monty Oum(R.I.P)**

* * *

"Where the fuck am I?" I asked myself again.

If someone told me this morning that I was going to get shot in the face and revived for a second chance at life, I would have dismissed them as being high.

Now that I was standing in this new world and having gone through that, it threw my whole perception into the air. The whole realization itself was overwhelming and it made me feel smaller than before.

I'm here now, all alone. Everything that I had grown used to in my life back home was wiped clean, and replaced with a new slate that had to be rebuilt. My parents. My friends. My home. They were gone, and not coming back.

My hands ran through my hair and I took a deep breath through my nose to try and calm down. I could feel my eyes prickling with tears that had built up and threatened to escape.

That whole thing about men shouldn't cry? Bullshit. I sure as hell was trying to live up to it, but you put yourself in my shoes for a second with everything that happened to me, and we'll see how you fucking take it. I was scared.

Wherever I was, I was on my own from here on out. I had to figure out a lot of crap and it would take time to get in the swing of it. When put on the spot in a situation you're unfamiliar with, you start asking questions.

Not those stupid ones, but those big ones a kid shouldn't have to worry about until they're almost done with high school or maybe even college.

Where was I going to go? Where was I going to live? How would I find my place in this new world?

My teeth bit down on my lower lip to keep a rattled sob from leaving me. I opened my eyes and felt the tears trickle down my face, making my vision blurry and distorting the faces of everyone that went by me. I lowered my head and wiped my eyes free and took another deep breath.

I can't stay here.

A frustrated growl left my mouth and I looked up and down the street quick to find a place I could go sit and try to calm down. Not somewhere where I could be seen and draw attention to myself. Some place quiet where I could just think and be alone.

I had to move, but my feet were rooted to the spot. My fear had gotten the best of me, and I was afraid to take that step out from the alley.

Jesus, how the hell do heroes pull themselves together and do what needs to be done? What about Marines? They made it look so easy! Some Marine I'd be if I couldn't even find my balls to start walking.

My fists clenched as I tried to dig something up from my mind for inspiration. Then I found it. The movie Lone Survivor popped into my head.

Now, I was not even remotely close to what those guys went through, but I remembered what Mark Wahlberg said when he played Marcus. All I did this time was picture him saying that to me.

"Suck it the fuck up, Kid! Get up and get your fuckin' legs working!"

I wiped my eyes again and did another look up and down the street. I would find some place to sit down eventually.

With great difficulty, I raised my foot and let it inch out in front of me to the sidewalk. It was heavy. Almost like a sandbag.

My foot hit that sidewalk like a brick. It was heavy and it almost kept me from moving my back leg. I took another step forward. Then another, and then another. Before I knew it, I was walking and passing between people.

The sounds of the area were kind of like New York.

The conversations of people as they went by. The honking of a bus or car here and there, and that one random guy with horns on his head.

Wait...what?

You know when you see something you don't believe you do a double take? I'm pretty sure I did a twelve take. I blinked after catching a brief look at the guy to confirm what I saw and then behind me to watch as he vanished into the crowd.

Nope. That just happened. Some guy with huge, legit horns just went right by me.

I'm not sure how long I stared after the guy, but it was enough to shed some light on this otherwise crappy situation. Wherever I was now, it was a place where people had animal characteristics. Something you'd see straight out a cartoon, or an anime…

I started walking again and my eyes shifted from person to person, all the while keeping in mind what I saw just a second ago. The further I got, the more people I noticed with something similar. Some had a tail and others had ears.

There was only one show I could think of off the top of my head that had people like this, but it wasn't possible. It just couldn't be.

I shook my head. Not possible.

I came to a stop beside a shop and looked inside. Through the glass I could see dozens of bookshelves lined up with some smaller ones near the front door with the newest books on display. It looked deserted.

This would work fine.

* * *

I entered the store and a bell chimed above me. My feet made dull thumps as I stepped into the deserted shop. Wood creaked when I took another step.

The floor was spotless, just like the books and the bookshelves. Not a trace of dust could be found on the endless books that ran up and down the store.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see some secluded sections in the store where customers could grab a book and sit down to read. One end had some beanbag-like chairs, and the other had some tables with chairs.

My feet were quick as they carried me to the beanbag chair and I plopped down in it. The chair sunk and adjusted to my form as I lounged in it and looked at the ceiling. This was really happening.

I had done well to stem the tears after I left the alley, but now they threatened to come back in force. My breath hitched and I could feel my throat tighten up as I tried to take another breath.

Let's review here for a minute.

I woke up this morning and expected my day to be routine as always, only for it to be the worst day of my life with barely anything that could be viewed as a silver lining. I fail a test.

Try to do the right thing by telling a teacher about those junkies, but where did that get me? A beating of a lifetime and getting murdered in an alley. Then I meet some angel that revives me for reasons I can only imagine, and now I'm in this world all alone.

If there was a reward for the worst day ever, I'd be the winner.

It just wasn't fair. How does a kid like me that does the right thing end up losing at the end of the day? What did I do?

I shook my head and rubbed my eyes. The quiet store was helping me, even though I was still drained after everything that happened. It gave me peace to dwell on my thoughts and I did not have to worry about people looking at me.

I then began to think of what Tex said earlier. He couldn't revive me on Earth since I'd be a vegetable with all the brain damage I would have had. If that was the case, was my body still lying in that alley or in a morgue? Did anyone even know my body was laying there rotting? What about Mom and Dad? Do they know what happened to me?

Then those thugs… did the police even catch them after they killed me, or did they get away with it?

That thought alone pissed me off to no end. If they somehow got away with killing me, that would just be the cherry on top of this crappy day. My fist clenched and I brought it down hard on the bag in a slam that echoed in the empty shop.

Damn it!

Slam!

Damn it!

Slam!

DAMN IT!

My breathing was shaky from the anger that was flowing through me. There had to be a reason this happened! I refuse to believe that I got murdered just for the heck of it!

I pushed myself out of the chair and my eyes swept the books on the shelves. Books were good for something and they sure as hell were going to help me figure out why I was where I was and why I died.

I grabbed one book after the next, only glancing at the titles before pulling them. Anything ranging from religion, death, philosophy, and even a couple of comics that looked promising. By the time I returned to the beanbag chairs, I had a tower of books just stopping in front of my eyes.

I set them down on the floor and sat back in the chair, grabbing the first book from the stack. "Religions of Remnant".

Wait, did I just read that right?

My eyes flicked to the title of the book I was holding, particularly fixed on the word Remnant. I'd seen that name before. It was from that Rooster Teeth web series RWBY. I'd seen every episode up to the latest volume and even read dozens of stories on fanfiction with arguably my most favorite one being "My Turn" by Le MAO XXIII.

It started to sink in for me then and there. Tex brought me back, and placed me in a world that I enjoyed, one where I had a vague idea of how it was run and what took place in it.

The question was where exactly did he drop me in the timeline? Was this before Cinder took Amber's powers? Before Ruby got recruited by Ozpin? After the fall of Beacon?

Holy shit. This only confirmed my doubts of where I was earlier.

That explained the guy with the horns, and those others with the tails and ears. I'd been walking beside Faunus and humans all day. This was unreal.

It took me a moment to put that thought in the back of my head, but when I did I was able to focus on my original task. I opened the book in my lap and began to skim read through the contents. The book was big and there was no way I could read it all in one day. My best bet was to try skim read each religion and see what concepts each one discussed about death. It would probably help if I found religions that were similar to the ones back on Earth that dealt with things like reincarnation or revival.

Like I said, I don't have an issue with religion and this would definitely make me read more on it than I wanted, but this was the best idea I could come up with for now.

* * *

One by one I sifted my way through the massive stack of books beside my chair. Each one offering different pieces of information pertaining to what happens after death or theories based on science. Needless to say, it only turned my mind to mush.

My fingers rubbed my aching eyes to sooth them from the relentless back and forth glazing of books. All the information was pointing in the direction of unlikelihood because there was no scientific evidence to prove that what happened to me was possible. It all boiled down to faith or some stupid fairy tale scenario. Just my luck. Nothing different than what I would find back on Earth.

I glanced out the window and could see that the sun had long since set and it was dark outside. I arrive on Remnant and spend my first day reading books. Definitely not something I'd have done back home.

I closed my eyes and lounged in the chair, legs extended out. This posed a new problem. I was here, but I had nowhere to go and with everything that happened today, I had no desire to risk sleeping in the streets.

My ears picked up on heavy footsteps and a shadow loomed over me, blocking out the lights. A hard kick to my foot made me open my eyes.

In front of me was a tall man with dark hair. He had long, wicked sideburns running down the length of his face and had a decent amount of muscle.

"Hey, kid, wake up. I gotta' close the store," he said.

"What?" I mumbled with a rub of my eyes.

"I have to close shop, and I can't do that if you're here."

Great, now I had no choice. I would have to find some place to stay. This will be interesting when I've got no money.

The man sighed and folded his arms as he looked down at me. His eyes were narrowed as if he was sizing me up.

"Okay, what's wrong with you?" He asked.

"What?" I blinked back.

"You've been moping around here all day. So, what happened? Girl dump you? Do you have any friends? Or are you just some kind of loner?"

My lips twitched in annoyance at each question he listed off. I had no desire to listen to this and I didn't have to.

"Why don't you piss of and mind your own business?" The words flew out of my mouth without any forethought.

I lifted the brim of my hat and looked at the man again. This time I recognized him. It was Tukson.

"It is my business if you're sulking in my store when I should be closed up and out for the night, you little brat. So, either tell me what's eating you or get the hell out," said Tukson.

His words came out like the crack of a whip, similar to the stern retort a parent would give their kid, or a drill instructor chewing out a recruit. He did have a fair point.

"Look, I'm sorry. I just… had a very bad day," I answered back.

Tukson sighed and sat down in the beanbag beside mine.

"What happened?" Tukson asked again.

I shook my head.

"It's a long story, and something that you wouldn't believe if I told you anyway," I tried to dismiss it.

"Try me. I've heard some interesting stories, kid," said Tukson.

I blinked and thought about it for a second. If I told him, it would more than likely end one of two ways. The first, he would kick me out for thinking I was on drugs, or he would think I was just tired and kick me out regardless after I told him.

His eyes were looking at each of the books I had taken off the shelves as if trying to piece together why I was there in the first place. Might as well save him the time and cut to the chase.

"What if I told you that I got chased down by some thugs that beat me to a pulp and shot me in the face? That I died and was resurrected by some guy with crazy powers?" I asked.

Tukson was silent for a long time as he stared at me. My face was straight when I gave him my response and I could tell he was trying to see if I was kidding. He blinked and rose a brow.

"Are you on drugs?" He finally broke the silence.

I raised my hands and let them fall in my lap. Forget it. I'm so fucking done with this day.

I got out of the chair and trudged to the door with my feet making heavy steps. Just before I reached it, Tukson called out to me.

"Were you being serious, kid?"

I rolled my eyes and looked back at him over my shoulder.

"Does it matter? I can tell you don't believe me," I said.

Tukson rolled his eyes and got up from his chair and walked towards me with his arms crossed.

"Can you blame me?" He asked.

Of course I couldn't blame him for reacting the way he did. I probably would have reacted the same way if someone said that to me and I hadn't gone through what I did today.

"No," I said with a shake of the head.

Tukson sighed again and scratched his sideburns. His eyes were fixed on me.

"Tell you what, kid. You can come back here tomorrow and we can talk about this more. I'll hear you out," said Tukson.

I was a little surprised. The fact he was inviting me back into his shop to talk about my day again was something I did not expect.

"Seriously?" I asked.

He nodded and offered a small smile.

"You look like you could use someone to talk to, so it's on me," said Tukson. "So, hop out of here so I can close up and come back tomorrow around nine."

I bowed my head and shuffled my feet not moving an inch.

"What's wrong?" Tukson asked.

"I uh…" I scratched the back of my head. "I got nowhere to go."

Another awkward silence fell between us.

"What do you mean you have no place to go?" He crossed his arms with narrowed eyes.

Well, until I told him the whole story in detail tomorrow, I guess I could tell a small lie. At least a believable one.

"I don't have a family." It's true, I didn't have one here. "I've been on my own for a long time."

Tukson's face fell and became somewhat sympathetic. He scratched his sideburns again and let out a long sigh.

"You've got to be kidding me," he mumbled to himself.

He turned his gaze back to me with a thoughtful look.

"Tell you what. Since you have no place to go, I'll let you crash here for the night. My loft is above the shop and you can take the couch," said Tukson.

I perked up just a little bit. Seems like I managed to salvage some good from this shitty day after all.

"Really?" I asked still in disbelief.

Tukson nodded.

"Yeah. Follow me."

* * *

Tukson locked the door to the shop and hit the lights, leaving the shop in total darkness. I followed close behind him as he led me to the back of the shop where there was a staircase leading to the second story. Our footsteps made loud creaks on the wood as we stepped on it.

I followed him to the top and continued to the end of the hall where there was a lone door. He unlocked it and turned on the lights. My mouth fell open in awe at the sight.

This loft looked like a small house. It was a large room with a decent sized kitchen off to the left. Cheap furniture filled the center of the room where a TV hung on the wall. There was a second staircase that led up to another floor. Off to my right I could see a small bathroom.

"Nice, huh?" Tukson smirked at me.

"Yeah." I nodded back.

"Anyway, the couch is there. Make yourself at home, I'll go get you a blanket."

Tukson walked to the staircase and disappeared from sight. I heard him moving around upstairs as I made my way to the couch and sat down. I was actually surprised with how comfortable it was. It didn't look like much at a first glance since it had some damage, but it was almost like sitting on a cloud. Definitely kicked the crap out of my bed back home.

I kicked off my shoes and heard Tukson come back down the stairs holding a small pillow and a grey blanket. He lightly tossed them to me and I caught them. Both were soft as if freshly bought.

"That should hold you over until tomorrow," said Tukson.

"Thanks, Tukson," I said giving my first smile of the day.

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it. Soon as we get you sorted out, I'm kicking you out."

His response was curt, but I could see the teasing smirk on his face. At least he was cool enough to let me stay here for now.

"Hey, how did you know my name? I never told you it," Tukson asked.

That's right, he never told me. I only knew since I saw the show. I had to think fast since the guy was an ex-White Fang member and was probably cautious of anyone who came around him. Then again, I had some saving grace. His name was on the bookstore outside.

"That's your name, right? It said so on the window," I answered back calmly.

He seemed to relax just a bit when I answered him and gave a light shrug.

"True. Anyway, get some sleep. We got a long day ahead tomorrow," he said before heading up the stairs.

I swung my feet up on the couch and pulled the blanket over me just as Tukson shut off the lights. My eyes stared up at the ceiling as I tried to let sleep claim me, but I didn't feel tired.

My first day in Remnant, and I've already met Tukson. He was not in the show for long, but he did make a good impression with me. He gave off the hardass vibe when we talked earlier, something that some of the people in my life were like, kind of like my dad.

Dad…

I frowned a bit as my mind drifted back to my parents. Mom and Dad were back on Earth, and I was here. I lucked out with what happened today to an extent, but I was scared. As a kid you don't think much about what would happen if your parents left you to live on your own or if they died. You just live in the moment, but when it finally happens you're scared. They were the ones that solved a lot of problems and bailed you out if you were in a jam.

Now that I don't have that going for me, I had to figure out what to do on my own. I could ask for help, but only time would tell who would truly be reliable in that area. I was alone and I had to become my own man early.

This was my wake up call to adulthood, and it was real. This wasn't a dream I could wake up from and find everything to be normal.

The reality was like a hard punch to the gut. I die in New York, get revived in Remnant. Everything in my old life is gone, and now I have to adjust to living here so long as I was alive. A new life with new challenges around every corner.

My eyelids grew heavy and I felt a yawn threatening to climb out of my mouth. I managed to stifle it, but my eyes finally rolled shut. The sounds of the city began to fade away as sleep started to claim me.

Before I drifted off completely, I saw my parents standing in front of me smiling.

"Good night, Mom. Good night, Dad."

* * *

 **(A/N): Hey guys M4 here and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. There will be more coming soon, I promise. LATER!**


	3. Clean Slate Part 2

**(A/N): Hey guys, M4 here. I am back with another chapter to Second Chance. I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I will talk to you guys later.**

* * *

 **Beta Credit goes to CaptainPrice. I do not own RWBY. All credit goes Roosterteeth and Monty Oum (R.I.P).**

* * *

Home.

That's the one place I wanted to be right now. There I felt safe, and annoyed because of my brother and sister.

I never thought I'd miss that feeling. Most kids that have siblings love to stay the hell away from their siblings as they get older and get annoyed by the things they do, and I am no exception. But in my current situation, I would kill for another moment like that. Even now I still expected my brother or my sister to come barreling through the door all loud and obnoxious, maybe teasing me about becoming a super soldier just to get a rise out of me. I was really craving it to happen, like a last ditch hope for this all being a bad dream.

So I waited and waited, but nothing came. No hurried footsteps. No laughs. Just the sound of passing cars coming from the window.

Groaning, I turned on the couch to try and get comfortable, but failed to note how close to the edge I was. The room was a blur as it tumbled when I fell to the floor.

BAM.

"Ouuucchh." I groaned as I grabbed the edge of the couch to hoist myself up.

Picking up the blanket, I folded it neatly and placed it on the couch. Stretching my arms up, I heard the satisfying pop of my back cracking. I sighed in relief. The feeling of cracking your back felt so good, at least if you did it right. You do it wrong, it's like you went to a shitty chiropractor.

"Hey kid." I yelped in surprise at the greeting. God damn, he can't do that! Tukson chuckled.

"I'm going to make some breakfast. You want some?" My stomach immediately growled after I heard the offer. It would have been the first thing I ate since lunch at school yesterday.

"I'll take that as a yes." Tukson walked over to the fridge.

He opened the fridge to reveal a well-stocked load. His huge arms sifted through the fridge with grace. Something you wouldn't expect from a big dude like him. When he came back out he had a package of bacon and a carton of eggs tucked under his arm.

"Go over to those cabinets and get me two pans, kid." He nodded to the cabinets on his right.

I broke out of my stupor and hurried over to the cupboards he indicated. Opening the cupboards I found a stack of pots and pans just waiting to be used. My eyes fell on the top of the first stack and I reached up and pulled off the top two. Once I had them, I set them on the counter in the center of the kitchen.

"So kid, like I said yesterday, we are gonna' talk. Maybe over breakfast, if you're up for it?" Said Tukson as he spared a sideways glance at me while he cracked an egg on the skillet.

Well, there wasn't much to talk about. I did give him the summarized play by play yesterday when we were talking downstairs. All I could do was just tell him in greater detail and see what came from it.

"Kid?" I snapped to attention when he spoke up.

"Uh, y-yeah, sure." I nodded at him.

Going over to the kitchen table I sat down and rested my head on the cool wood. My mind slowly wandered off to the possibilities of how the conversation would play out. The immediate result that popped up was it would result in Tukson not believing me like before which would soon end with me out on the streets and on my own again.

The thought alone made my brain go into overdrive and it began to raise all those questions I didn't want to face, but would ultimately have to if I want to stand a chance at living a new life.

Like, where am I going to permanently stay? Tukson let me stay here once, most likely out of pity. The chances of him letting me stay here again were slim. Not only that, I'm too young to rent out an apartment and have no job as proof of income. At this rate I'd be living on the streets like a lot of those homeless guys back in New York.

Crap... I REALLY didn't think through my decision for restoration. If I knew Tex was gonna' screw me in my fresh start I would've chosen different. I mean, he could have at least given me some money to start out with or something!

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't see the plate of cooked eggs, toast, and bacon laid in front of me.

"Kid, you still with me?" Tukson sat on the opposite end of the table with his plate.

"Yeah, why?" I sat up in my seat.

"You spaced out for a second. Just relax, I'm not going do anything to you." He chuckled before taking a bite of his eggs.

Sighing in relief, I began to eat as well. I shoveled the first fork full of eggs into my mouth and almost drooled. The eggs were without a doubt some of the best I ever tasted, maybe even better than my mom's. My mom was a hell of a cook, but Tukson could probably give her a run for her money. The eggs were scrambled to perfection, the toast wasn't burnt black, but a nice crispy brown with a thick layer of peanut butter on top, and the bacon… damn. Much like the toast, perfectly crisp and juicy with every bite that danced on my tongue.

He was the first one to break the silence of our breakfast.

"What you told me yesterday seriously stumped me, kid." Looking up I saw his eyes on me as he wiped his lips with his napkin.

"Yeah, I figured. You probably thought I was high as fuckin' kite, right?"

He shrugged. "Well, that was my first thought. A random teenager saying he died and was revived by some angel is hard to believe by a longshot, and believe me, I've heard my fair share of weird stories."

I frowned. If there is one thing about me that people here would learn, it was that I was brutally honest. I lie every now and then, but only when I felt it was appropriate. Tukson was most likely still assuming I was a junkie of some sort.

He leaned in forward a bit. "I agreed to hear your story, kid. Just tell me the whole truth and we'll go from there. Sound fair to you?"

I nodded with a light sigh. I really didn't have much to lose at this point, anyway. My hands folded in front of me.

"To be honest, I don't even know where to start," I said with a grimace.

He folded his arms. "Well, start with where you actually are from and go from there." My shoulders bounced with a light shrug. Here goes nothing.

"Like I told you yesterday, I'm not from Remnant. I was born on a planet called Earth. It's a planet similar to Remnant here with civilizations, societies, laws, nature, sciences and conflict, although there are some areas where both Earth and Remnant fall short and surpass each other. Anyway, I was born in a country called the United States of America. It's a big country made up of fifty states that can be viewed as provinces or smaller countries to put it in simpler terms. The state that I was from was New York. I Grew up in New York City," I began.

My eyes flicked up to take in his reaction, but did not see much. The man was with the White Fang, and like he said earlier, he had seen his fair share of crazy things. He had leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, eyes fixed in a contemplative stare. No trace of a smile, frown or any other form of disbelief. Just utter neutrality.

"Anyway, I was an outsider throughout my school years. Sure I had friends, but I kept to myself mostly. Because of that I was bullied a lot. I guess I was an easy target since I was quiet and didn't say much unless I had to. The bullying got worse when I went to high school. The ones that bullied me started giving me death threats, and even tried to follow up on one of them."

Tukson remained silent as he continued to listen to my story. There wasn't even a shift in his facial expression when I told him about the death threat. Maybe it was coming off as too hard to believe? Then again, he probably would have stopped me if he thought I was blowing smoke.

I shuddered at the memory of that death threat. Kids make those, "I'm going to kill you!" threats all the time. Never thought I'd see one try to follow through with it.

"I was jumped in a train station which prompted me to transfer schools, but it didn't help that much. I did have more friends there, but I also made more enemies. Which led to my death."

Tukson lightly scratched his sideburns and a breath escaped his nostrils.

"You seem to be a glutton for punishment, kid. Why did you make so many enemies when you switched schools? Kids don't just single you out as an enemy, you had to have done something to piss them off," said Tukson.

I flinched at that. He wasn't wrong with what he said. I didn't mean to make enemies, but my anger has been the sole cause for it. Those idiots would say something that I tried to ignore, but they managed to get the best of me and it either led to a fight or me making threats.

My eyes began to sting with unshed tears and I blinked to try and make them disappear.

"I-I snitched on a couple of potheads, but they ended up jumping me. I did take martial arts and fought back, but they ended up overpowering me and..." I paused with tears streaming down my cheeks.

Tukson handed me a napkin which I gladly accepted. Wiping my tears, I breathed in before continuing.

"They put a bullet in my head and you can guess what happened when they did. Instead of going to the afterlife, I met this angel named Tex. He revived me here in Remnant and I woke up in an alley. I walked around a bit, found your bookstore and the rest is history."

There was a long and quiet pause. My nervousness took over and I began to shift uncomfortably in my seat. He took a sip of juice and set the cup down.

He sighed. "As much as I want to say this is crazy, I'm finding it hard to do so."

I sniffed and wiped more tears away, not making eye contact with the man in front of me. The answer he gave me was not what I expected. I half expected him to mock me or even make some offhanded comment about how everything that happened to me could be written as a short story and sold in his store.

"So, you believe me?" I asked looked up at him.

"Kid, you wouldn't have broken down like you did if you were lying," Tukson answered back with a small frown. "I can read people very well, and even though your story is out there, I believe it."

He believed it. Tukson believed my story despite its impossibility. For the first time since I got here, a genuine smile spread across my face.

"Thanks, Tukson." Tukson offered a light smile of his own and leaned forward. His eyes looked me up and down and he rubbed his chin in thought.

"Since I believe what you told me, I'm assuming that whole story about you being on your own since you were a kid was a lie because you needed a cover for me to hear you out," he said. I blinked and nodded back at him. Damn, he wasn't kidding when he said he could read people well, but then again, that answer was kind of a given after everything I told him last night and this morning.

"So that means you have nowhere to go. No family, no job, no money," he continued to list off.

"Yeah," I said with a nod, trying not to flinch at the reminders. Tukson let out another sigh and leaned back in his chair. He rubbed his face with his hands and kept his gaze looking toward the ceiling. The man was mulling something over, but what it was would be made known when he was finished.

"Ah, damn it," he said as he dragged his hands down his face. He finally cast his eyes back to me.

"Look, I'll make you a deal. I don't want to repeat myself, so listen closely," said Tukson. I nodded back eagerly, all the while wondering what all came with the offer he had.

"Since you're a kid you won't be able to live on your own until you're eighteen and have money, so here's my offer to you. I'll let you stay here at my place until you're old enough to be on your own. In return, you'll work in my store and do any chores or side jobs I have for you," Tukson said, his tone of voice became stern like a parent's.

"Really?!" I perked up not believing my luck.

"I'm not done, brat," he quickly retorted. I shut my mouth and waited for him to speak again.

"Now, so long as you're here, you'll abide by my rules. I know you're a troublemaker with your story, so I expect you to stay out of trouble by getting another job to stay busy and save up your money and move out when you turn eighteen. And here's my one warning to you. If you ever, and I mean ever fuck up and get in trouble with the law and bring them to my doorstep, I'm kicking your sorry ass out of here."

I felt my heart skip a beat and almost shrunk back in my chair. Tukson's eyes were sharp as he gave me a firm look. He was going on a limb for me to act as a guardian and he was bringing the hammer down hard. This guy could probably make that beating those thugs gave me look like child's play if I ever pissed him off.

"If I'm giving you hospitality, the least you can do is become a good man and figure out what you want to do with your life. This world's full of scumbags and it sure as hell doesn't need another one. Do you understand me?" Tukson sat upright.

My mouth was dry, but I managed to find the words I was looking for.

"Yes, sir!" I nodded back.

"Good. So we have a deal then?" Tukson asked.

"Yeah."

He nodded and held his hand up for me. I gripped it and felt the corner of my mouth twitch as he gave my hand a firm squeeze and shook it.

"We'll need to work on that handshake of yours…" said Tukson before he adapted a look of realization. "Sorry, I never got your name earlier."

He made a good point. I was tempted to give him my real name. It wouldn't have made a difference, but since I was starting off on a clean slate, I might as well give myself a whole new name to boot.

I cleared my throat. "My name is Alex. Alex Beretta."

"Nice to meet you, Alex. Don't let me down, you hear?" Tukson let my hand go and got up from his chair.

Tukson looked to the clock and let out a small grunt. Our talk had gone on longer than he had anticipated. It was almost nine o'clock.

"Well, it's almost time to open the store, let's get you started for your first day. Come on, I'll show you what you'll be doing," said Tukson.

* * *

I followed him out of the apartment and back down the stairs into the store. Sunlight seeped through the closed blinds, begging to enter the dark store. Dark silhouettes of people walked by windows going about their day.

Tukson led me behind the counter where the register was. His hands disappeared under the counter and returned a second later with a bottle of glass cleaner and a rag.

"Your job is to clean the shop. The windows, the floors, and the shelves, and I expect them to be spotless. SPOTLESS!" His voice echoed around the empty shop. "You're to alphabetize any new books we get by works of fiction, nonfiction, and genre. You also have to be a people person to suggest books to get sales or trade ins. I expect you to know our inventory inside out."

Each new thing he listed off made it more difficult for me to remember the thing he said before. Attention to detail was not my strongpoint like it was for people with OCD.

"Do you know how to do simple math?" He looked at me.

I tilted my head and gave him a flat look and he merely shrugged back.

"Just thought I'd ask. You need to be able to know how to make change and count the profits we take in," said Tukson.

"Sure. I think I can manage." He gave me a pat on the back before pulling something out of his pocket.

Wait... I think that was a scroll. That was definitely something I'd need once I saved up some money.

"I need to make some calls. I got some people that I'd like you to meet and they should be able to visit today. In the meantime, clean the windows inside and out. It's Monday and it's usually slow, but if anyone comes in I expect you to give them great customer service."

He went to the back of the store as I walked out with the cleaner and the rag. As I began to clean the windows, I also began to hum the tune of Same Girl by R. Kelly. The jazzy yet fierce music felt really nice. Plus, it featured Usher. I mean, come on, who doesn't like Usher?

The sun was not overwhelmingly hot and offered a nice warmth for the early morning. It was easy to pick up on any fingerprints on glass, but it was tedious work. The windows were pretty large and took a while to clean since I stopped to inspect them again and again for blemishes. I wanted to prove to Tukson I was taking this seriously and it wouldn't be a good first impression if I screwed up on a simple job like this.

After I finished cleaning the glass outside I went back inside to finish them off. A light sweat had formed on my brow and I could feel it trickle down my face. The air conditioning felt nice when the door closed behind me.

As I continued to clean and hum, Tuskon come out and watched me clean.

"What's that song you're humming?" I felt myself shiver.

I really gotta be careful when bringing up some music or anything that has a remembrance of Earth.

"It was something my friends showed me." Which is true because I never heard that song until a friend of mine introduced it to me.

...

My friends...

I sighed. I gotta' forget about them, or at least suppress my emotions. I can't be this mentally weak, especially in Remnant. Which kind of adopts the funny phrase of Australia: Anything in this place can kill you, especially the wild life.

I felt a tap on my shoulder. Looking up, I saw Tukson with a smile on his face.

"Let's take a short break. Those guys I want you to meet are here. Come on." He motioned me to the back.

Guess I didn't notice people walk in because I was so focused on those damn windows.

* * *

We walked into the back and turned into another side room. I saw three people dressed in black with hoodies over their faces. One was sitting down, the other two were standing up. When they heard our footsteps, they look up.

"Guys, this was the kid I was telling you about," said Tukson turning to me. "Kid, introduce yourself."

I scratched my head in nervousness and sighed. Tukson was enjoying putting me on the spot all day today. First with the job duties in the store and now he was forcing me to introduce myself.

"My name's Alex Beretta. If you don't mind me asking, who are you guys?" I spoke up looking at each of them.

They looked at each other before one stepped forward. He pulled off his hoodie and he flashed me a goofy grin. He had gray hair, green eyes, and long, bat like ears.

"Name's Gem. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it." He took my hand and shook it so hard I thought he was going to rip it off.

I'm sure if Jaune heard him say that he'd call him out for stealing his so called line.

He moved aside and the second one got up. When he stood up, I took a step back.

DAMN, THIS GUY IS HUGE! HE'S TALLER THAN TUKSON!

He pulled off his hoodie and the first thing I noticed was a long scar on his right eye. He had jet black hair with traces of gray from age, black eyes, and two black wolf ears jutting out through his thick mane. To cap it off, his thick beard only made his appearance more intimidating. Definitely the last guy you'd want to piss off.

"I'm Jade. Tukson told me you had some promise, so we'll see what you can do," was his curt welcome before he sat back down.

The last member of the trio was shorter and walked up to me slowly. Lifting up the hoodie, I couldn't find any words to say after I saw it was a young girl. I'd seen my fair share of good looking girls, but this one stood out among them. Her tanned complexion complimented her long, brown hair and her golden eyes. She was not much taller than me, but something told me she was stronger than she looked.

The girl took a step towards me and eyed me up and down curiously with her arms behind her back.

"My name is Sapphire. How are you?" I barely registered her question, still lost in her beauty.

Thankfully Tukson was there to bail me out and he gave me a hard nudge to break me from my smitten state.

"I-I'm fine. You?"

She giggled. God, she even had a cute laugh. Ok emotions, settle down.

"I'm great. So, you're the guy we're training, huh?" She sized me up again as she circled me.

The way she did that was similar to a hawk hunting their prey. It was a little weird, but I kept my cool as I watched her. In doing so, something caught my eye. There was a tail protruding behind her lower back. It was long with orange and black stripes.

"Tukson mentioned something about you being a fighter. You any good?" She closed the distance between us, making my cheeks heat up a bit.

"Y-yeah, kind of. Some fighting styles that use boxing and kickboxing techniques." I found my voice again.

She smirked before she threw a punch. My reflexes had become second nature by this point in life. I blocked her punch by throwing up my arm and quickly countered with a lunge. My arms wrapped around her frame and I tackled her to the ground.

I went for a pin, but she was already on the move. Her hips shifted and hit mine with a light nudge to knock me off balance. Before I knew it, she was on top of me with her knees right under my armpits to keep them pinned.

"Not bad, but you need work," she said as she stood up and held out her hand.

I took her hand and dusted myself off after she pulled me up. Before I could say anything, a sharp pain met my stomach.

"OOF." I held my gut.

Damn, she punches hard! Guess that was lesson number one. Never let your guard down!

"We can start tomorrow." Her words were more of a statement than a suggestion. "Be ready, Alex. We're going to train you hard."

She gave me a small smile before she hurried out the door with Jade and Gem. Tuskon smirked at me.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you have a crush on her." I glared at him and cursed my cheeks for betraying me as they burned.

Maybe staying here won't be so bad after all.

* * *

 **(A/N): Hey guys, I really do hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a Like, Review, and subscription for more. PEACE!**


	4. Clean Slate Part 3

Hey guys, M4 here and welcome to another chapter to Second Chance. Sorry for the long wait but I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

* * *

 **All Beta credit goes to Captain Price. I do not own RWBY. All credit goes to roosterteeth and Monty Oum. (R.I.P)**

* * *

I'm thankful for many things. Things like food, clothes, and a roof over my head because not everyone has that luxury. Right now though, what I am thankful for is one thing. Beanbag chairs. I'm sure the chair had molded to my body after sitting in it for so long nursing a headache that was probably triggered from all the cleaning fumes.

Yesterday was interesting to say the least.

Tukson actually believed what I said to him. Too be honest, I thought he would have kicked me out in a heartbeat after hearing the first sentence that came out of my mouth.

Thankfully, he took my word for it and put me to work. After that, I met up with the three people that Tukson said were going to train me. In a way, they remind me of the assassins from Assassin's Creed. They're mysterious in their own way and, well, kind of intimidating at first sight. Especially Jade. The guy was a giant and there was no way anyone screwed with him unless they wanted to wear their ass for a hat.

After that, I had to clean all the books in the library, and I mean ALL of them. That itself was a pain in the ass. But, dinner after was totally worth the back breaking cleaning. Rice and roasted chicken with beans.

I swear, Tukson is a god with food. Hell, he can even make a dead rat taste good if need be.

There I go getting off track again. My head gave another throb and my mind drifted back to the biggest thing on it. I'm going to be training with these guys and I am kinda excited, but I'm scared as well.

I have no idea what these guys are training me in. Sure, I trained in Krav Maga and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but these martial arts in Remnant are on some other type of level, at least from the looks of it in the show. Part of that may be because these guys would be considered superhuman with their Aura and what not.

Maybe they'd train me in a crawl, walk and run way? Or is it going to be a drink from the firehose way? Either way, it had me jittery.

Whatever they do, I just hope they don't kill me. If my hunch was right, everyone in Remnant had Aura, but it had to be awakened, which I still needed. I mean, apart from that and a semblance, those are two critical pieces to staying alive in a place that could easily get you killed for fuck sake!

Not only that, but I need to find another job. One of Tukson's rules was to get another job and I needed to find one soon. That was the deal. He let me stay at his place and took payment by making me work part time in his store. This was also a precaution to keep me out of trouble by keeping busy. I really don't want to get kicked out, especially when I have something good going for me here. The least I could do was honor his request and find another job to start saving money and eventually move out when I have enough.

Maybe I should become a waiter or something? I did have some working experience. I worked as an intern at a law firm for a while, but I moved and had to quit.

Might as well get a job that I like. No point in fixing something that isn't broken, right?

Yeah, there aren't a whole lot of options. Especially when I don't go out that much.

I like to write, but I don't think anybody in Vale is going to hire an amateur author. I played baseball, but I think the only sport that people tune in to here are fighting tournaments, anyway. Besides, they probably didn't have any sports from Earth here.

I could go to some underground fights in Vale. They shouldn't be that uncommon... but I'd probably get wrecked in the first round.

My hands slid down my face and I stared at the ceiling. What am I going to do?

This is really not going to go well for me. But, let's focus on one problem at a time. The training with the "Musketeers". That's what I'm going to call them until I find out what they do or what they are.

To be honest, I really hope they train me in a really good martial art. Something similar to Muay Thai, or even Kung Fu. Definitely not karate. When the topic of martial arts comes up, I'm always the one who has something to say.

I'm a nut about Martial arts. When I find a really good one, I sink my teeth in and I try to find all the information I can about that martial art.

Hell, I admit I have my favorites as well, most notably Muay Thai and Capoeira. Both of them were awesome in their own way.

Muay Thai, in my opinion, the most brutal fighting style ever created. Originating from Thailand, Muay Thai is known as "Thai boxing". But it's not actual western boxing. Muay Thai is known as "The art of 8 limbs" and they emphasize this greatly. Muay Thai uses the whole body as a weapon, arms and legs for defense, knees and elbows for attacks. It also focuses on grappling, and bone breaking. One famous practitioner that uses this art is Tony Jaa, who starred in movies such as Kill Zone 2 and The Protector, and they were fantastic action movies.

Capoeira, my second favorite martial art, is a Brazilian martial art that focuses on dancing, acrobatics, and kicks. Capoeira dates back to slavery in 16th century Brazil, where even though the slaves outnumbered their slave owners, their slave owners had better weapons. Capoeira was made to fight against the slave owners but made into a dance so the ignorant owners would think the slaves were dancing, not practicing. Not only that, when the slaves would attack the owners, the owners didn't know how to defend themselves because the capoeira fighters were always moving around. MMA fighter Marcus Aurelio uses Capoeira in his fights and he knocks out ALL of his opponents! I want to be like that guy!

Getting up, I sighed. Even if I wanted to learn these martial arts, there is no way they have them in Remnant. Besides, a lot of martial arts here seem fictional, but I know I've seen some of them implemented in the show with the way some of the characters fight.

Maybe there are some here from my world, but under a different name? Or they are here but have more moves in the style?

Not too sure, but I guess I'll find out.

"Alex, come on. Time to go." Tukson called out. I sighed and got up from my comfortable state. Tukson was taking me to train with the Three Musketeers.

I wonder if they have a killer dojo they train in? Nah, that'd be too cliché. Maybe a monastery? Wait, that's just as predictable. Guess I'll see when I get there.

Getting up, I stretched before following him out of the bookstore. He locked the door, turned the sign to show it was closed, and started to walk up the block. I followed close behind until he stopped in front of an old truck.

The truck itself looked nice. Looked like a regular Toyota pick-up, but it needed some new parts. The right front light of the truck was cracked, and so was its rear-view mirror. The rear bumper was literally duct taped together.

"Talk about ten miles of bad road," I silently mused.

"Get in, kid," said Tukson. I opened the passenger side door and got it. Imagine my surprise to find the inside of the truck in better condition. The leather was clean and had a sheen to it as if sterilized with high quality cleaner. The console was free of dust and the carpet had no dirt or stains embedded in it. Pretty solid save for the smell of old pizza.

Tukson climbed in and started the engine, but also noticed my face of discomfort.

"What's the matter, kid?" Me being me, there is no way in hell I was going to be honest with him about the smell.

"I'm fine. Just a headache." I dismissed his concern with a wave of my hand. My head continued to throb, but the pain was not as sharp as earlier.

"Roll down the window. It helps," he said with a knowing chuckle as he put the truck in drive. The truck gave a groan as he revved it up and crept tot he road. He looked both ways and once he deemed he had time to move, pulled into the road and sped off.

"Where are we going?" I looked at him.

He chuckled as we drove by an intersection and got on a road leading towards the highway. In the distance I could see treetops of the woods miles away.

"Someplace to train, Alex. These guys keep their training private," he said as we kept driving north.

During our drive, there was absolute silence. It was really awkward, but I had nothing to say to him. I mean, what should I say? What should I ask? The only thing worth taking in was the view of the passing trees. The sun emitting a warm embrace through the window onto me. I enjoyed watching the trees pass by as we kept driving. It gave me a sense of peace. Everything felt so fucking peaceful.

Man, I could live like this forever. I was so close to falling asleep if it wasn't for Tukson breaking the long silence.

"Hey kid, tell me about yourself." My eyes shot open from his sudden voice.

"W-what?" I stretched my back and yawned.

"Tell me about yourself. You only told me about how you ended up here. Like, what do you do for fun? What are your favorite sports? What was your family like? Shit like that."

I shrugged. "Not much to say, really. I played baseball and I started martial arts when I was around four years old. I did karate for two years, but I quit it because I wasn't really feeling it."

"Baseball? Karate?"

"Baseball is a sport that's my country's favorite pastime. It involves nine guys playing on a diamond shaped field and trying to put a white leather ball in play with the use of a bat. And Karate, well, it's just a lame form of marital art. Nothing special or cool about it, but it's highly publicized on TV as being cool."

"Huh. I can't really say much about either since I've never heard of them, but baseball sounds interesting. Was there a specific role or position you played?"

I gave a lighthearted shrug. Whenever I played I just gave my all in the position I was assigned. Could have been outfield or infield. Anything but catching or pitching. Too much stress and pressure.

"Outside of that I was a part of the chess club at school and ended up having a small knack for it. It's a good game to test your mind and build your strategies and critical thinking,"

Tukson nodded silently, agreeing with what I had said. "Sounds like you had a life. Doesn't sound boring to me," he said.

I playfully punched him on the arm and he chuckled in return.

"But I became an inside kid. Played video games and trained in different martial arts when I was thirteen. I'm fourteen now and after ten months of training, I feel more alive than I used too."

Tukson nodded and lightly scratched the side of his face as he kept driving. "Did you have a girlfriend?" He glanced back at me.

"Yeah, I did," I answered him with a small smile.

"Did she give you the cookie, or do you still have your v-card?" I laughed and shook my head, trying to ignore the small burning sensation in my face.

"I've had two girlfriends in my life. One moved away, and the other was too dramatic for my taste," I said as I reflected on the two of them.

"Good deal. I figured you still had the v-card with the way you were ogling Sapphire," said Tukson. I said nothing as he laughed at my red face. Was I really that obvious around Sapphire when I first met her? I mean, it's natural for guys to stare at good looking girls and I know I did when I first saw her, but was it really that bad?

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I retorted as simply as I could.

"Uh huh, sure you don't." Tukson rolled his eyes.

That quickly ended the talk about the girls, but it was in no way bad. The light banter we shared was fun and something I was enjoying. I'm not sure why, but for some reason Tukson had been very easy to open up to and relate to. Part of it may have been the fact he took me in and was looking after me, but another part of me felt that there was something else there. Like he shared some of those experiences.

"Do you have any friends?" He asked. I frowned and looked back at him.

"Yeah. Why do you ask?" I leaned against the door. He shrugged. "What you told me yesterday made it sound like you're a lone wolf."

"No, I did have friends. Good people that lent me their shoulder from time to time when I would be angry or if I got in trouble." I stared at the trees as they would pass by us.

My eyes drifted over to Tukson and I could see a change in him. The smile was gone from his face and replaced with a more thoughtful look. I had seen that look in dozens of adults before, and it usually came in the form of solid advice to help someone they were talking to.

"Well, let me tell you something, Alex. Always keep your eyes and ears open. Don't trust that many people, and if you do end up trusting somebody, stay close but not too close. I learned that the hard way," said Tukson.

Raising an eyebrow I looked at him. "What do you mean?"

He sighed before turning left at another intersection. "Let's just say I trusted somebody's judgment, but once I saw what he was actually doing, I left him and his followers."

I only nodded as I already knew who and what he was talking about with the White Fang. In regards to who in particular I could only wager a guess. The only two options could be Adam Taurus or Sienna Kahn, but my gut told me it was the former.

"Since we're almost there, let me tell you something about those three you met yesterday. They train hard, man. Very hard. Are you sure you want to go through this?" Tukson looked back at me.

Man, if you put it like that, then NO! But, I really need this. I only gave him a firm nod in return and he nodded back accepting my choice. No turning back now. Might as well try to bring out my inner marine and not doubt myself.

* * *

Soon we came to a stop at a large valley. It was covered...hidden in all the trees. As we got out, I saw the same three Faunus from yesterday. But this time they were wearing gym clothes.

Gem and Jade opted to go with a t-shirt and cargo pants combination for their training attire. And Sapphire… well, was a little less conservative with her choice of wear.

She wore a blaze red sports bra, gray sports shorts and red shoes. Her hair was pulled into a neat ponytail as well.

The girl would easily turn the heads of anyone she walked by. Hell, I was immediately drawn to her the second I saw her. Her clothes did very little to hide her curves. The bra itself looked way too small for her and her shorts just hugged her hips. While her abs weren't as defined, her stomach was toned. No shred of body fat.

Hot damn, man… Holy shit.

"Alex, close your mouth. You're drooling," Tukson whispered.

Sure enough I could feel my jaw hanging open and promptly closed it and wiped whatever spit had trickled down the side of my chin. I silently cursed Tukson and did everything I could to regain my cool.

"Come on, kid. We don't have all day." Jade said with a firm look.

I nodded and hurried over to the three of them, leaving Tukson to watch from afar. I tried to keep myself from not staring at Sapphire, but... it was very difficult. Her hips swayed with each step and naturally my eyes trailed after her.

Oh… why must you ruin me so, Monty Oum?

"Ok, first thing's first. Kid, we are gonna' train you. That's what we are here for, but make no mistake. You will not quit. No matter how tough and no matter how hard we train you. Unless you're bleeding internally or near death, you will not stop and you will obey everything we say. Understand?" Jade said as he looked at me.

His eyes pierced me like a bunch of sharp daggers, making me fear him more than anything. This would be the closest thing I got to a sadistic drill instructor. Hopefully I could hold up to his expectations.

Well, I don't have much of a choice, and if I needed to fight or be a plain badass, these guys were my only hope.

"Yeah, I'm ready," I said with as much confidence as I could. Jade grunted back before nodding at Gem who took out a pair of sticks.

"Before we start training, we have to numb the nerves in your legs."

Numb the nerves in my legs? How the hell would that help me? That would only cripple me, and to make matters worse I did not have my Aura unlocked. There was no way I would be able to go long without that!

I took a step back when Gem, Jade and Sapphire all took a step towards me. Jade's eyes sharpened at my defensive move and he crossed his arms with an expectant look.

"Are you being serious or are you wasting my fuckin' time?" Jade glared at me.

I vehemently shook my head in denial and looked back at Tukson for help. He tilted his head in mild confusion but made his way over to me after I beckoned him with another gesture with my hands.

"What's wrong?" Tukson asked me.

"My Aura!" I snapped back as I looked between him and Jade. "It's not unlocked. How can you expect me to do much of anything if you break my legs?"

"I'd say it builds character," Sapphire chipped in with a lighthearted shrug.

I sent her a brief glare, but she only gave me a sickeningly sweet smile in return. She may have been good looking, but she was a devil deep down.

"Huh, the kid's got a point," Gem said with a small nod. Jem let a sharp breath out of his nose and gave a curt nod to Sapphire. The girl complied with his message and walked up to me. She stopped just short of me and I had to look down just a bit to see her eyes.

"Quit lookin' down my bra and focus, you pervert," she said with a small smirk.

The corner of my mouth twitched at her little jab, but I let it go. No point in losing my cool over such a small poke of fun. Plus, girls find guys who can't take a joke lame.

I watched Sapphire's hand reach up to my face and stiffened when it rested on my cheek. The touch alone sent a shiver down my spine. Her lips curled up in a small smile when she sensed my surprise.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul and by my shoulder, I protect thee," said Sapphire.

A flood of warmth spread through my body. It did not hurt, but it took me by surprise. All the fatigue I was feeling from earlier was gone and replaced with newfound energy. I even felt lighter, stronger than before. Was this the same way Jaune felt when Pyrrha unlocked his Aura?

I opened my eyes and I could see a glow emitting from my hands. It was red. One of my favorite colors. It represented passion and strength. Something that embodied me perfectly.

I was broken from my thoughts courtesy of a light tap to the cheek from Sapphire.

"Okay, pervert. Time to get to work," said Sapphire. Before I could open my mouth to retort to the beauty, two heavy hits slammed into my legs and my knees immediately buckled. A cry of pain tore through my throat and I could feel the familiar tingling sensation surge through my legs, reminiscent of hitting the sweet spot on your shin or elbow.

My fists clenched tight and I slowly pushed myself back to my feet and looked back at the two who hit me. Gem had a smirk on his face while Jade's was stern. Both of them were twirling the sticks that they had been holding.

"Lesson number one, new guy." Gem held up a finger. "Always be ready for anything. Keep your eyes on your enemy and try to see how they move. The quicker you pick that up, the better chance you have at staying alive and not getting your ass beat and cryin' like a prepubescent little girl."

I glared at Gem and was about to give him a piece of my mind, but immediately found myself jumping out of the way from a blindsided attack from Sapphire. Her stick just narrowly missed my shin and I quickly put distance between myself and the three of them.

"Hey, timeout on the field for a second!" I held up my hands. "No such thing as timeouts in a real life or death situation, brat." Jade lunged at me.

I tried to get out of the way, but the older man was too fast. One minute I was on my feet, the next thing I know, I'm doubled over clutching my gut. Jade drilled me so hard with his knee that I was sure my intestines shot out of my ass. Just trying to breathe sent sharp stabbing pain throughout my body.

Another hard hit, this time to my ribs made me roll over. The adrenaline that shot through me was enough to make me forget about my pain long enough to roll out of the way and stagger to my feet. Jade and Gem were in front of me and were ready to come at me again, but that was when I noticed the problem. Sapphire was nowhere to be seen.

I've seen enough TV shows and movies like this to know what was coming next and ducked on instinct. A loud whoosh soared over my head and made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Sapphire just a little behind me, still within range of a hit. Thinking fast, I spun on my heel and out from under her arm with a kick.

The top of my foot made contact with her bicep, but I may as well have been a newborn infant. Sapphire turned her gaze to her arm and then to me with an amused look.

"That all you got, pervert?" She put her hand on her hip and cocked it. "Or was that takedown yesterday just a fluke?"

My teeth clenched together at the poke and my knuckles cracked upon forming a fist.

"One, I'm not a pervert. And two, that was not a fluke!" I glared back at her.

"Then prove it. I was kind of impressed with what you did yesterday, so show us you can do that again. Then maybe, just maybe I'll stop calling you a pervert."

I only nodded and got ready to fight with her, but heard a pair of footsteps to my right. Jade and Gem were soon upon me and before I could move, they had me restrained. Gem's arms had me wrapped in a full-nelson and Jade swung his stick at me like a baseball bat.

My eyes bugged out of my head and the air in my lungs was forced out as the solid wood buried into my stomach. I sputtered and coughed as I did everything I could to regain my composure and counter back. The hot, throbbing pain that filled my stomach made it very difficult for me to focus.

When Jade wound his arms back for another swing, I felt another wave of adrenaline hit me. I planted my feet firmly into the ground and shoved back hard, knocking Gem off balance just a bit. The moment I felt his feet shift on the floor, I pulled with all of my might and turned to pull Gem off the ground and with me.

Gem let out a surprised cry as Jade's stick slammed into the small of his back. His grip loosened on me and I spun out of his grip with my arm back. I stepped forward and drove my fist forward as hard as I could and smirked as my knuckles smashed into Gem's cheek making his face scrunch up. Gem stumbled away and I brought my guard up again to put my focus on Jade until Gem recuperated.

"Not bad, but it'll take more than that to take Gem out." Jade ran at me.

"I know, but I'm ready for both of you!" I answered back as I ducked under his swing and put space between us.

"And you need to pay attention!" Jade snapped back. He hurled the stick at me after he spun around. My reflexes kicked in and I narrowly dodged the heavy stick, but I had no time to bring my guard up. Jade was on me again and his massive hand closed around my throat.

My airway quickly closed and my eyes widened as I gasped for whatever air I could get. My hands tried to pry his vice grip off, but it was futile. He looked straight in my eyes as I continued to flail in his grip and reared his head back.

"Oh, this is gonna' hurt like shit!" I braced for the pain.

Bright golden stars filled my vision as the crown of Jade's head smashed directly on mine. Now, I've been hit in the head before in my fair share of fights and sometimes banged it on walls and furniture, but they had nothing on that Jade hit me with. The pain that came with it felt as though I got launched from a canon headfirst into a steel wall.

In my dazed state I barely registered being thrown by Jade somewhere to the center of the arena. Before I hit the ground, my body almost flipped after getting hit from behind. Sky filled my vision and then solid ground. I hit the floor hard and my body refused to move after the brutal assault.

"Remember what Gem said, pervert. Always keep an eye on your enemies," Sapphire's voice came a little above my head. I craned my neck and squinted in the light to see her staring down at me with a small frown. She lowered her gaze to mine and sighed.

"I'm still here, too. I stayed back to see if it clicked with you, but I guess this is the only way to make you learn," she finished with a shake of her head.

She grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and helped me to my feet. Her hands were not soft as she brushed off whatever dust was on my clothes. Each hard pat made me wince as she touched a developing bruise. Her last slap was a light one to my face to bring me back to reality.

"You ready?" She asked.

"Yeah." I nodded back.

"Good." I stumbled forward towards Gem and Jade after she shoved me forward.

"This is the best way for you to learn, brat. Some people need to learn by drinking from the hose, and that's what it looks like for you," said Jade.

He nodded at Gem and the two of them walked towards me from opposing sides to keep me guessing what would happen next. With Jade's last comment, I made a mental note of Sapphire behind me.

I took the chance and glanced over my shoulder to see Sapphire creeping towards me with her stick slung over her shoulder. A small smirk was on her face and her chest was puffed out, making her assets more pronounced.

"Hey pervert, stop staring at my boobs and focus!" Sapphire pointed in front of me.

Cursing my short attention span I turned around just in time to see Gem and Jade on top of me. Without thinking about it I dove forward and rolled to my feet and turned around to face them with my guard up. With all three of them in front of me, I could now try and fight with everything I had.

I watched Jade direct Gem and Sapphire to the flanks he wanted them to attack while he approached me head on. My heart pounded hard in my chest from the adrenaline racing through me and my eyes darted between the three of them as I waited in anticipation for the next move.

"Get ready, Alex!" Tukson called from the side of the arena. I could feel the color drain from my face when all three of them charged me at once.

These guys are dicks!

* * *

The longest eight hours of my life left me clinging to consciousness. I was thankful that Sapphire unlocked my Aura after I mentioned it, because if she hadn't, I would look like a crushed jelly donut.

I laid on the couch feeling like absolute shit. My whole body was covered in bruises, scratches, and blood. After training I passed out in the truck and woke up on the couch back in Tukson's apartment. He gave me some medicine, but the painkillers he had were not that effective, so I had to deal with the misery. I guess in hindsight it's not so bad since it would help build my pain tolerance.

In an attempt to find some humor in my current situation, I pictured Tukson wearing a butler's outfit as he prepared dinner. It really felt like quality service. First he gives me painkillers and then he cooks my dinner? If that's not five star service, then I don't know what it!

The training was tough, and I was going back for more soon enough. The thought alone sent a shiver down my spine. It even made me question myself for a second on what I signed up for, and then berating myself for being stupid enough to do it. I swear these guys are gonna' kill me before I even finished training.

"Hey kid, you okay?" Tukson asked from his spot by the stove.

"My body was crushed to bejesus and back. Do I look okay to you?" I dryly answered back.

"Ah, you'll be fine. Builds character." I only groaned back at the dad-like comeback. He chuckled before setting down dinner. With great difficulty and bearing through the tender pain my entire body was feeling, I trudged over to the table to see what Tukson finished making. It smelled delicious, and when I saw it, it looked delicious as well. Rice with pork and red beans.

I pulled out the chair from my side of the table and plopped down in it, immediately picking up my spoon. I shoveled in the first bite of the meal and the flavor exploded in my mouth.

That settles it. If I die… Check that, when I die again, I'm bringing Tukson with me because that man can cook!

The two of us continued to eat our meal in silence. I caught sight of Tukson's eyes as they flicked to me every now and then. There was a small smirk on his face

"Seems like you got the mad on for Sapphire," he said casuaully.

I immediately choked on my food and sputtered over my plate as I tried to recover. He laughed at my comical reaction and leaned back in his chair and folded his arms.

"W-What?" I asked, still coughing out bits of rice.

"It's all about subtlety, kid. Staring at a girl's breasts is not the way best way to break the ice. It sets you up for a nasty slap," said Tukson.

My cheeks burned slightly and I sighed. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Now, can I please eat?" I denied before returning to my plate.

He raised his hands up in acceptance and scooped up another spoonful of rice from his plate.

"Ok, but I got some advice for you regarding her if you do want to pursue a relationship in the long run," said Tukson.

I rolled my eyes, but held back my words and looked at him to show I was listening.

"As you know already, she's a Faunus like me. She had it rough growing up as a kid and had to do a lot to become who she is today, and that has left her with little trust in others. Hell, the only people she trusts her life with are me, Gem and Jade," he continued.

"What's your point?" I asked as I set down my spoon.

"My point is that if you want her, you have to show you are different from other humans that she has met. That and the fact that Gem and Jade are like her brother and father respectively, so if you hurt her, they'd probably kill you ten times over."

Another chill went down my spine and I shuddered at the thought alone. If what they came at me with today was beginner level, I'd hate to see them pissed.

"Same goes for Gem and Jade. They know you're a human, so they'll be watching you and making sure you don't do anything that rubs them the wrong way or risks exposing them to the wrong people," said Tukson.

"Okay. I got it," I said with a nod.

"Good. Now that that's out of the way, next time you try to flirt with Sapphire, don't look at her chest or wonder what she looks like naked."

My cheeks burned again and I flung a bean at him and he laughed as it bounced off his giant forearm and out of sight. "Okay, I'm done. Make yourself useful and clean up the kitchen before you go to bed," said Tukson as he got to his feet.

I raised my hand, acknowledging the chore he assigned me and watched as he trudged upstairs to his loft. It was nine, but whatever. I guess business owners liked getting a lot of sleep before starting a new day.

I kept eating in silence, but my mind began to drift back to Sapphire. Tukson's words still circled my head and I reflected on what he told me about her past. Not only that, but I also dwelled on my past experiences with my two former girlfriends. Each of them had been different in their own way, and Sapphire was much different from them. Not just physically, but she also had her own quirks and way of talking with me.

Did I have feelings for her, or was this just amped up lust? I mean, I just met her a day ago and I won't deny that she's easily one of the hottest girls I met in my life. Not only that, but the way she talked to me was not something I was not entirely used to. I mean, she was tough, funny, and teased me every time she caught me stealing a look at her. Back in New York, girls were not that receptive to me, so this was fresh water.

Was she like that with all guys that fawned over her, or did she only tease me because she liked me enough to go along with it?

Wait, time out!

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose to slow down. Now I was overthinking it, and that was never a good thing. It was easy to make mistakes when that happened, and it's no different when talking with girls and misinterpreting their view of you. That's not what I wanted with Sapphire.

If I did decide to pursue a relationship with her like Tukson said, I had to take it slow. Build up the friendship and see where it went from there. I mean, it's possible I might just want her as a friend at the end of the day, but I don't know. Either way, I wouldn't get the answers I wanted until I took that first step.

I finished eating, picked up Tukson's plate and limped to the sink. The water shot from the faucet a second later and I scrubbed the dishes clean, putting each clean one in the opposite sink to dry off.

Once I finished with the dishes, I shut off the light and made my way back to the couch. My body flopped down on it and I pulled the blanket over me.

I guess I'll find out more tomorrow. My eyelids were heavy with exhaustion and it did not take them long to close.

* * *

I stared up at my ceiling for what felt like hours now. Gem and Jade had long since gone to bed, leaving me the last one awake. God, I envied them for being able to sleep so easily. I guess it helped when one had an empty mind and a guilt free conscience.

The sole cause for my sleepless state was the boy that Tukson introduced us to. Alex Beretta.

When Tukson told the three of us we would be training him, I was skeptical. On a first glance the kid did not look like much. He looked very out of place, like he did not belong here, or anywhere on Remnant. He did not do himself much of a favor for a first impression, especially when he stared right at my chest. Little pervert.

I guess at the end of the day he held some promise. He did manage to counter my test strike on him when we first met, which was not something I expected. The punishment his body was able to take today during training was another bonus as well. Although he got his ass handed to him and then some, he kept getting back up until he collapsed from exhaustion. He did deserve some respect for that, but it would take a lot more to than that to stand out for me.

If Alex was as resilient as he proved to be today, maybe this wouldn't be such a waste of time. That would definitely be a plus for all of us. The only reason we took up the request from Tukson was because he got us out of a tight jam that would otherwise leave us in a worse state.

A sigh left my lips as I turned in my bed and stared out the window. The shattered moon glowed bright as it shone through, bringing a wave of calmness. My eyes started to droop shut and I nestled my head deeper into my pillow.

"Don't let us down, Alex. I don't want this being a lost cause by wasting our time when we could be doing something more meaningful."

* * *

Hey Guys M4 here. I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Sorry for the long wait, both my editor and I were buzy. Please leave a Like, Review, and a Subscription for more. Peace.


	5. Clean Slate Part 4

It'd been five weeks since I started training with the Musketeers. If I'm being honest with myself, I should have backed out the minute I had a chance.

For the past few weeks, they amped up the training. Gem was showing me more weapon based fighting, which meant a lot of cutting to my body.

Jade decided to stick with hand-to-hand combat. But now, he is adding a lot more unpredictable combos as well as taking out a knife and sparring with that.

Sapphire would vary between the two, but she would get a little too close sometimes. And by that, I mean I would either get a face full of butt or boob, which earned me a hard slap across the face and a long ass chewing from her. Didn't change the fact I got to second base with a hot girl a few times in the process.

At the end of the day, I was improving little by little. Hand to hand was my bread and butter because it was easier for me to understand all the techniques and strikes they would teach me. I guess Krav Maga really helped me, even if it wasn't as extreme.

My weakest area was weapon fighting. They would teach me how to use a weapon, yes, but if I held it wrong or I had a wrong stance, they would give me a good whack to correct my form. Hurt like a son of a bitch.

My body and my mind has been pushed over the limits and then some. If it wasn't for Tukson's food and my Aura, for fuck's sake, I would literally be hooked up to life support if I was back home.

Home. A frown spread across my face as I thought about the place I still wanted to be at.

If I'm being honest, I'm homesick. I miss New York and I miss my family. I missed having my little brother pulling my hair while I did homework, forcing me to chase him to his bed to read him a book.

I miss the annoying questions my sister would ask me just for us to lead into a big ass argument. I mean, you can't blame me, the questions she would ask me are just weird.

I guess what I really miss is my parents. Especially my dad. He moved and I barely saw him. My step dad tried to fill that void but...I guess I just wanted my dad to be there and be proud of me for once. He always wanted me to be a fighter, so that's another reason why I took martial arts. I wanted to be someone he can look at and be proud of.

...

"Fuckin' tears..." I muttered as I wiped them.

Today was a slow day at the bookstore. My body ached from the training earlier on in the morning, but the pain slowly began to recede.

My day had gone by like the rest since I started. It got to the point that it was second nature and I could do everything without Tukson reminding me. I finished cleaning the store and dusted all of the books in the place. This left me with time to kill and I was able to read up more about controlling my Aura and how to "call" on it whenever the Musketeers decided to slice me up like a damn turkey.

Turkeys...family...Thanksgiving.

That special time of the year, second to Christmas. Where the whole family can just come together and feast. Once a year where you can see how big the family has grown.

I chuckled at the memories. I remembered once how we had three turkeys and we barely had finished the first one. The chance to just talk, laugh, and be together with your family was something that had to be held in high value.

The smile I had disappeared and in its place, a frown. Those days were gone now and they will forever be gone. The turkey, the laughter, the love...all gone over one stupid mistake.

My hands balled into fists. If I had kept my mouth shut, none of this would be happening. I could be at home now with my family, my friends. But no, I just had to go and run my fucking mouth. Sighing, I unclenched my fists and went to sit down on one of the many bean bags in the store. Sitting down, I laid my head back and closed my eyes, focusing on my breathing.

That's another thing that Sapphire taught me. Meditation.

She said, and I quote, "This can help you fix that perverted mind of yours." But it also helped me calm down and let my inner emotions settle. There was one flaw about this, though. Sometimes it would put me to sleep, like it was doing now. Right before I was about to sleep, someone nudged my foot.

Opening one eye, I was met with the face of Tukson himself.

"Hey kid, you alright? You seem out of it."

I looked at him and gave him a fake smile.

"Yeah, I'm good." In lied.

Truth be told, I just want to be left alone. Tukson's eyes only narrowed at me with more curiosity, so I decided to change the subject.

"Where are you going?" I motioned to his clothes

He wore a jacket over his usual attire. Vale was undergoing a small cold front, but that doesn't seem to bother the Musketeers when they are beating the ever living shit outta me.

"I need to get some more food for us. Seeing as though the fridge was meant for me."

My eyes perked up. Had to capitalize on a grocery run opportunity.

"Oh, then can you get us some chocolate chip cookies please?"

That's another thing I missed. Chips A-Hoy. My favorite brand of chocolate chip cookies.

Tukson only chuckled before bringing another bean bag chair and pulling it next to me before sitting down.

"Nice try, but you're going to have to do better than that to get rid of me."

I only growled in frustration. Tukson took noticed and crossed his arms.

"What's wrong?" He asked again.

"Nothing's wrong." I retorted back just as fast.

His eyes grew sharp as if he was looking into my soul.

"Did you do something illegal? Kid, our deal was tha-"

"NO! I-I mean no, I did nothing bad and yeah, I remember our deal." I quickly shook my head.

He relaxed and his face turned sympathetic.

"Then what's wrong? You can talk to me, you know that."

Biting my lip, I looked at him again and sighed.

"I miss my family. That's it." I gave in.

"Tell me about them. You never really mentioned your family before." He leaned back in the chair to get more comfortable.

I sat back and scratched the back of my head.

"I had a family like any other person does. A mother, father, younger brother and sister. My mother and father worked their asses off so they could give us what we needed. Whether it's money for a trip or books for a class in school." I chuckled when I remembered my mother bought me over 10 chapter books in the third grade at the book fair the school was having.

Needless to say, I read all of them and my mother ended up thirty bucks in the hole. Tukson looked at me to continue.

"That doesn't mean we were perfect. Yeah, we made mistakes and I'm no angel because I made plenty of mistakes. But I learned from them and I moved on with a better understanding."

Tukson began to rub his beard while he was listening.

"My dad was my inspiration to join our nation's military. Like Atlas, we have a large military that is separated into smaller militaries called braches. I wanted to join a branch called the marines. The marines were the baddest of the bad, the toughest of tough, but my mom wanted me to be a lawyer and that would be their main cause of an argument," I continued with a small smile on my face. "I give anything to be with them again."

Tukson had remained quiet as I opened up to him. He leaned back in the chair and scratched his head before speaking.

"What brought this on kid?"

I shrugged back with a small shake of my head.

"The weather reminded me of a holiday called Thanksgiving. This holiday was great because it meant a few days off of school and the whole family would come together for a big feast. It was special because the whole family was there. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents would come with food so we can all be together." I didn't realize tears were streaming down my face until I finished talking.

Wiping them, I sighed.

"I really need to let go of these emotions." I muttered, but I didn't notice Tukson was standing up. He grabbed my arms and yanked me up. "What are you-?"

I didn't have time to finish because he pulled me into a hug. The comforting action from the large man surprised me. It took me a minute to break from my state of shock before I wrapped my arms around him. Tears trickled down my face and stained his jacket.

"Kid, I haven't known you that long but I got you, okay? I got you."

I only buried my face deeper into his chest. We stayed like that for a few seconds longer until we let go.

"Don't be afraid of talking to me. Now, I gotta go get some food before we starve to death. You gonna' be alright while I'm gone?" He asked.

I nodded back.

"Yeah, part of our deal was to find another job, so I might as well do that." I said as I went to get a jacket.

Once I came back I found Tukson standing by the door waiting for me.

"I heard there was a bar down a few blocks from here that needs a new bus boy. Maybe go and check it out?" He suggested as he opened the door

I nodded before putting on my jacket and walking out into the cold.

"I should have brought a bigger jacket," I thought as I dug my hands deeper into my pockets.

The cold air hit my skin making me shudder in response. No so, but it was very cold. Not that I was a stranger to it. The northeast got very cold this time of the year. Not as bad as Minnesota or Wisconsin, but still pretty bad.

* * *

I kept walking until I saw a guard sitting in a chair outside a large building. The sounds of heavy, thumping music could faintly be heard.

He saw me coming and quickly got to his feet.

"What are you doing here, kid? Scram," the guard said with a glare.

I narrowed my eyes at him, all the while sizing him up. Jade always said to look at my opponent to try and exploit a weakness.

"I'm here for the bus boy job," I answered back.

He raised his eyebrows and put his hands on his hips, looking me over.

"Aren't you a bit young to get a job around these parts?" He asked.

I also raised my eyebrows and crossed my arms.

"Aren't you a bit old to work as a guard?" I shot back.

He glared at me but chuckled.

"Touché. Any ID?"

I shook my head.

"Then scram, kid." He jerked his thumb up the road.

I scoffed before cracking my knuckles. Looks like we were doing this the hard way. During our talk, I noticed he had a slight slouch favoring his right leg. That was the target I needed to hit.

I took a step towards the guard and he was quick to make a move. It was pretty common knowledge for anyone that got in a fight that a right hook was the first thing to come. The second I saw him go through with it, I easily ducked under his arm. He was off balance and it would not take much to send him to the ground.

With a push of my feet and a tuck of my shoulder, my body crashed into his side. The force was enough to force him back a little bit. His balance was still sloppy and I pivoted on my foot with my foot high. It connected with the back of his right leg and he let out a strangled yelp as he dropped to his knees.

"Sorry, guy. But I need this job." I brought my fist forward as hard as I could.

The guard's head snapped to the side from the hard hit and he swayed before dropping to the ground, knocked out.

I walked in the club and immediately knew this was a bad idea. Doubt began to fill me and my decision to pursue the job began to waver. People were dancing, having a good time while the stench of alcohol was very high.

Never liked this kind of thing, but you gotta get out of your comfort zone every now and then. Not to mention the blaring music. I could barely hear myself think.

Scanning the crowd I spotted Junior handing out beverages to some of the other unruly types that hang out around here. It took me a while to worm my way between the crowds of people dancing. Okay, I guess grinding on each other was more accurate.

When he saw me sit down, he walked over.

"Did the guy outside check you out? Because you seem too young to be around here," he said.

I only offered a shrug back.

"I get that a lot, but no. I'm not here to drink, I'm here for that bus boy job," I answered him.

He crossed his arms before nodding and leaning on the counter.

"I'm not gonna' sugarcoat this. Our other bus boy got fired because he had a big mouth on him. What we do around here ain't exactly legal."

Crap. Well if you put it like that, no, but I made a deal with Tukson and I plan to keep it. So long as I learned from my past mistake of keeping my mouth shut, I'd be fine. Tukson wouldn't be any the wiser of what I did, and I wouldn't have to worry about getting shot in the face again.

"Yeah, I can keep my mouth shut. Just tell me what I have to do." I nodded.

He smirked back at me. "You're not gonna get the job right off the bat. I need to know if you can handle yourself."

"What are you talking about?"

Junior looked at the DJ and nodded. The DJ returned the nod and walked towards us while another guy took over. When he reached us, I found myself look at him.

The DJ stood at a whopping six foot five of solid muscle. His sunglasses and hat made him look very intimidating, but for some reason I didn't feel scared.

"There's a back alley where you two can duke it out. If you win, you can work here with double the pay I gave the other kid. If you don't...well, let's just say I hope you know a good doctor."

I only nodded as he led me into an alley way. He opened and shut the door behind him and turned to me. I didn't feel the cold air sting against my skin when we were outside. I blocked out everything, the coldness, and the sounds of cars going by. Everything.

The only thing that I didn't block out was the DJ

"You ready, kid?" I nodded and got into my fight stance.

Left foot forward, right foot back, right hand close to the face, left hand out farther down, hands opened. He chuckled and had a cocky smirk on his face.

"What kind of fighting stance is that?" He laughed.

I didn't answer back. He got into a boxing stance and smirked.

He threw a right punch, but I blocked and punched hard in his throat. He gasped but grabbed me and kneed me in the stomach. We both fell and gasped for air. But I stood up quickly, ignoring the pain and dizziness from that hit and kicked him in his face, hard.

He rolled away, but slowly got up and ran at me for a tackle. My feet left the ground as his hands grabbed a hold of me and hoisted me into the air. Sidewalk met my back and my entire body seized up.

A grunt of pain escaped from me. He wrapped his hand on my throat and brought his other hand back for a punch, but I felt a wave of new energy go through me and I grabbed his hand. My free hand shot up and my knuckles made solid contact with his chin and he immediately released his hold on me. Not wasting another second to counter, I thrust my arms up and showed my thumbs into his eyes.

The DJ's hands tried to soothe his aching eyes and he rolled off of me. As I stood up, I used summoned my Aura to protect me from another attack. I dove for him and managed to keep him pinned.

My arm wound back and my fist drove forward with purpose. One punch after the next connected with the man's head until it was a bruised and bloody mess. He squinted up at me through his swollen eyes and only braced for the pain about to hit him. With one last punch he fell to the concrete, knocked out.

With the battle done, I made my way back inside the club. The booming music welcomed me when the door opened. Turning to my right I saw Junior who observed the fight through the window. Junior turned to me and nodded. He threw me a pair of keys and a shirt.

"You start tomorrow. Be here at seven o'clock," said Junior.

Uniforms were not exactly the thing I liked about jobs, but it was pretty standard. A simple white button shirt. Definitely not something I would wear outside in my free time.

"This may be a bar, but we have standards too. Take care of that shirt," said Junior.

I nodded and he motioned for two people to come over.

Wait, those two girls look familiar. Red and white dresses, and they look exactly the same.

My eyes widened when it clicked. These girls were the Malachite twins. It was almost creepy with the same resemblance, but it was a treat to see the two of them behave in sync. Right now, both of them were looking at me a raised brow, sizing me up. Neither of them looked impressed.

"What are you looking at?" Melanie asked, more like a statement than a question.

Before I could answer, Junior bumped in.

"Ladies, show him out," he said with wave to the door.

I slung the shirt over my shoulder as the twins escorted me to the door. As we walked out, Miltia decided to voice her opinion.

"You don't look like much."

I shrugged back. They would learn sooner or later that I could hold my own. Especially since I was receiving training from well-trained fighters in my spare time.

"You may be right, but I'm not looking for trouble. I'll see you two lovely ladies tomorrow," I said as I left the club.

It may have been my imagination, but I heard a quick remark from the pair of them as the door closed behind me.

"He's weird, but kind of cute."

"Oh, shut it Melanie"

* * *

"So, how was everything? Did you get the job?" Tukson asked as he prepped dinner.

"Yeah, I got the job. First shift, seven to four," I answered back as I put my shirt on a hanger.

He nodded in thoughtfulness as he brought the food over to the table.

"Well, it's a good thing you made good on your end of our deal," said Tukson as he set the dish down.

I nodded, but my attention was sparked when I noticed extra plates and food on the table.

"Tukson, what's going on?" I pointed at the extra china.

Before he answered, there was a knock at the door.

"I'll be right back." He went down the hall to see who it was.

I sat down and looked at all the food he had. Bread, chicken, soup, cookies, muffins, rice, mashed potatoes, the list went on. My stomach growled at the scent that wafted into my nose and the heat that emitted from it.

"Hey pervert." A new voice caught my attention.

I looked up and was shocked to see Jade, Gem, and Sapphire standing there.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here?" I looked between them.

Gem walked over and sat down next to me.

"Tukson invited us for a feast as a thank you for training you," Gem said with a fold of his arms.

Jem and Sapphire nodded as well as they took their seats.

Dinner was fantastic. Not really a word that I used much, but it was the only way to describe it. We devoured the feast that Tukson had prepared, talking, laughing, and sharing stories that kept the mood high. Not once did any of it feel forced. It was a warm welcome that filled me with nostalgia.

It reminded me of the dinners I had with my family. Whenever we ate, it was just like this.

I wasn't sure if I'd be able to experience something like that again, but thankfully I was wrong. This was the closest thing I could get, and I would take it in a heartbeat. Tukson. Gem. Jade. Sapphire. All of them were strangers to me when I first got here, but they took me in and made me a part of their lives. Their family.

They were now my new family, and you could bet I would do everything in my power to keep it like that.

* * *

Hey Guys M4 here and I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Second Chance. I also wish you guys a happy holidays and a Happy New Years. Please leave a Like, review, and a Subscription for more. PEACE!


	6. Clean Slate Part 5

Hey guys, M4 here. Sorry for the late chapter my fanfic. My Beta reader and I were particularly buzy these past few weeks with our lives and it diverted our attention elsewhere. But, I am back and I hope you enjoy this chapter. PEACE!

* * *

 **ALL Beta credit goes to Captain Price. I do not own RWBY. All credit goes to roosterteeth and Monty Owm (R.I.P)**

* * *

I can say now that this place is great. After so many months of training, working, and eating, this place is starting to feel like a real home to me.

Tukson is starting to open up more whenever we talk, but he doesn't miss a beat at work or at the house when he barks orders like a hard-ass dad. Kind of a pain, but I didn't take it to heart.

I'm getting stronger in my training with the Musketeers. So much in fact that Gem and Sapphire have to take a break now and then to catch their breath. Not trying to sound cocky, but that means I'll be at their level in no time.

My weapon training needs a bit of work because it's still new to me. We're training with sticks, knives, spears, and my favorite weapon, swords.

The swords were familiar to me because they were just like the ones on earth. Hell, we even trained with actual katanas. Now, THAT was awesome!

The new job I got is the only downside, I guess. Not because it doesn't pay well, it actually pays great. It's just that the loud music and the very disorderly crowd tends to give you a headache.

At least I made a friend there at the club to make it more bearable. Believe it or not, it's actually the bouncer I had to fight to get the job. His name is Bryan Silver.

Then there is the DJ I beat the shit out of. He hates me, but I can deal with him. I guess after he found out I can pull my own weight, he felt kind of bad for stopping me or something.

But even now, that doesn't mean I forgot about my old home. Sure, every now and then I would reminisce in those memories, but the one thing I miss the most from home is music and dancing.

Being a Latino kid, you're either a fighter or a dancer. I tried to do both, but I was more of a fighter. I learned how to dance through a friend. He showed me how to dance Bachata, a Spanish dance that felt so great to do, especially with music from Prince Royce or Romeo Santos.

It was kind of like the waltz, two people hold each other and move around. Now with Bachata, the music is livelier, the dancing has more...spirit in it. There's more movement with the hips and in general, it a pretty amazing dance. Plus, if you're dancing with a girl who knows how to dance Bachata, AND she's pretty, you're in for a good ass night.

Why mention music now? It's because the replacement for our old DJ sucks ass and most of the people aren't even dancing. They're at the bar laughing and having a good time, but once they leave, I have to clean the massive mess they leave behind. Right now, I'm helping the bartender with the drinks because it was packed tonight.

The music wasn't making the situation better and I was ten seconds away from going over there and breaking his jaw if it wasn't for twins doing it for me and changing the music, which brought the people to the dance floor and allowed me to clean the bar.

"Thanks," I said as they came over and nodded over to the bartender, who nodded back and made them their usually drinks.

"For what?" Melanie asked.

I nodded over to the replacement, who was leaving with an ice pack on the side of his jaw.

"Eh, he had it coming. Some of our regulars were about to leave and Junior didn't want that to happen."

Their drinks soon came and they drowned them in seconds. Miltia walked away muttering something about talking with Junior while Melanie stayed and order a second round.

I raised my eyebrows in confusion. This wasn't her usual MO. Whenever something happened, they would come to the bar, order their drinks and leave.

As she took her drink she looked at me and took a small sip before setting it down and crossing one leg over her other, showing off her thighs.

"So Alex, where did you come from?" She asked me.

I blinked and didn't realize I was staring back blankly. I shook my head and sighed, my cheeks turning slightly warm.

"Uh, what do you mean?" I already knew what she meant, but I was just trying to save myself a little bit of embarrassment.

She scoffed, but smiled and leaned on the counter.

"I mean how does a handsome guy like you come to Vale out of nowhere and get a job here? Why not become a huntsman?" She asked.

I chuckled and started to clean the glasses, the music was so loud I had to raise my voice slightly.

"I was born outside the kingdom and when I was twelve, my parents were killed by Grimm. I was homeless until someone opened their door for me and gave me a shot at the world again. I needed a job and came here since I wanted a job that was lively," I gave her the quick summary.

Some of it was bullshit, but it was only because the truth was crazy. Melanie looked sympathetic for a second, but soon smiled seductively. She walked behind the counter and leaned on my shoulder as I set down the glass.

My body practically shut down and froze. The heat in my face burned to new heights as her breasts pushed up against me.

"You poor thing. I'm sorry that happened to you." She leaned in more.

I was now so red that I could put Rudolph's nose to shame. I could feel her breasts as they nestled against my arm and I guess she must have sensed I was nervous because she raised her leg a little and nudged at my crotch with her knee. Out of the corner of my eye I could make out the cleavage her dress gave.

This was the closest I ever got to a girl and even though it was something I was going to remember for ages, it still left me a hot mess.

"If we go someplace private, I can make that pain go away," her lips were just by my ear.

They were so close that I could almost feel them on me. My whole face was burning so much it felt like it was on fire. She gave me an offer that I was seriously considering if it wasn't for her sister coming over at the last second to interrupt her.

"Melanie, Junior needs you for a second," said Miltia.

Melanie pouted before letting go of me and walking to find Junior. The second she was out of sight, I began to breathe normally and I pulled the collar of my shirt, not realizing how sweaty I got.

Miltia handed me some water which I gladly took.

"I'm sorry about that. Melanie can be a pain," said Miltia

"Does she always do that?" I asked in-between a sip of water.

She have me a sheepish smile.

"Yeah, she does. Wait, you weren't actually considering it, right?" She narrowed her eyes at me.

"NO! I-I mean n-no. She's not my type, anyway." I quickly shook my head.

Although she may not have been my type of girl, it was a lie considering I probably would have gone with Melanie if she stayed another three seconds. Miltia eyed me for a couple of seconds before she nodded and sat down.

"I overheard your conversation. Was it true about what you said?" She asked.

I nodded back at her.

"Yeah, it was. My dad always taught me not to lie and even if it wasn't anything harmful. Besides, she was only curious."

She raised her eyebrows, but shrugged a second later.

"I guess you're right. But going back a few seconds ago, you said she wasn't your type. What do you mean and please, watch what you say because she is my sister."

I gulped as she narrowed her eyes dangerously once more. I had to choose my words carefully. Her claws were deadly as hell.

"W-what I mean is I guess you can say I like quiet girls better. Because in my opinion and this may sound cheesy, they're like a book waiting to be opened and read. I find them to be mysterious in a good way."

She looked at me for a good five seconds before laughing. I smiled sheepishly, silently relieved she wasn't going to tear me a new one. I picked up another cup and started to clean it out of embarrassment. She kept laughing until I finished.

Smiling, she stood up. "At least there are some good guys in the world."

She walked away, leaving me to ponder what she had said.

* * *

After I clocked out at four, I made my way back to the library. Tukson greeted me at the door with a smile on his face and a pat on the back. I dropped off my stuff from the club upstairs, took a quick shower and made my way back downstairs with new clothes.

It became my routine for the past several weeks working in the bar because I would always smell like some sort of alcohol or substance that Tukson didn't want in the store.

"How was work?" He asked when I came down.

I shrugged back.

"Same old, same old I guess. The DJ was playing some stupid music and got his ass kicked by the security guards there."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Really? Sucks to be him."

"Oh, hell yeah. Especially if you're a guy and get your ass handed to you by a girl," I added with a small smirk.

My words only made a wry grin appear on Tukson's face a second later. He crossed his arms as he leaned on the counter.

"I don't think you got room to talk. Sapphire still throws you around like a rag doll, kid," he said with a chuckle.

I glared back at him and felt my cheeks burn in embarrassment, only getting more laughter out of the large man.

"Enough about me. What about you? How was your day?" I quickly changed the subject.

He let out a small grunt and gave a long stretch.

"It's been a slow day. Oh, and Jade called saying he wanted to train again tonight."

I frowned. This wasn't the usual schedule of things, but I didn't say anything. It's better not to question Jade on these types of things.

"Ok, sure. What time?" I answered.

He checked his watch. "We leave in three hours, so relax for a bit. You'll need it."

I waved him off. "Na. I feel better working for the rest of the time. You rest. You need it."

He smirked before nodding and heading up to the apartment.

I sat behind the counter and sighed. This was usually the most boring part of the day. Waiting for customers to come in. Sure, I can read a book to pass the time, but I needed something new to do.

Maybe pick up a hobby? That doesn't sound too bad of an idea, but what was there exactly? Scratching my chin, I walked over to the many books and started to skim them.

Well, I love music, so maybe play an instrument? Most of the instruments from Remnant are the same from earth so that's a good thing, but what should I choose? Something easy because I really want to be good at it.

Taking a book off the shelf labeled "Instruments for Dummies," I opened it and started to flip through it.

The book had many instruments ranging from wind to strings. I kept flipping through it, sighing on each page because no instrument caught my interest but one.

The guitar. One of the most basic, intermediate instruments to play. Sure, some people find it easy or what not, but I enjoy the sounds it makes. The music emitting off of each string appealed to me.

I was so focused on the book that I barely heard the door to the shop open and the clicking of heels not too far away. As I kept reading, the heels paused before becoming louder and louder.

"Excuse me," a girl's voice met my ears.

I looked up and went wide eyed at who I saw.

It was Blake. Blake Belladonna. Blake Motherfucking Belladonna. She seemed a bit younger though. Since she entered beacon at seventeen, it could only mean that I am before canon started up.

She seemed kinda cute though...

*SMACK*

My palm met my face in a hard, painful slap to the face. Why the hell did I think that?

...

...

Damn hormones...

"Uh, are you ok?" I looked up and didn't realize she was still there. She wasn't wearing her outfit from volume one. She wore black skinny jeans, black sneakers, and a black hoodie.

She really had the Gothic vibe going on. Maybe it was just a passing phase? Sure, it was her color scheme given her name, but still.

"Uh, y-yeah, hi. Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade. Name's Alex, how can I help you?" I found my voice.

I was internally screaming right now.

Why? Two things. One, Blake Belladonna was inside the store and I was dead ass MEETING HER! Granted it's her younger self but whatever. And two, why did I actually use the whole "Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade" line? It's so cliché and it was a no brainer! She could read and knew that since it was printed on the freakin' window!

"Mister?" She spoke again.

I snapped out of my thoughts as she put her hands on her hips. "Were you even listening?"

Wait, did she call me mister? Christ, I'M NOT THAT OLD! HELL, I'M PROBABLY YOUR AGE!

"Uh, no. Sorry, I was remembering something. What was your question?"

She bit her lip. "Is Tukson here?"

I shook my head. "Nope, he went to sleep. I'm in charge for now and I hope that doesn't make your visit undesirable."

She shook her head.

"No. He has a book for me that I ordered and he usually gets it for me."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Sorry, Miss. I'm the only one here, but I can give you the book. All I need is your name and the book's title."

She seemed to hesitate for a moment, looking at the door once and back at me.

She sighed. "Can I please have a pen and paper?"

I raised my eyebrows, but I shrugged and took out a pen and paper from my back pocket and handed it to her. She took it and scribbled the name quickly before handing it back to me, her cheeks becoming slightly pink.

My eye brows slightly went up when I read the name.

Ninjas of Love.

I remember in one of the episodes Blake seemed to have a rather peculiar interest in the book. It was always referenced in fanfiction and a couple of times in the show to be smut related.

Please don't let it be a different version of Fifty Shades of Grey. I get it, many people have a kinky and freaky side, but come on, bringing BDSM into it is just...weird.

"Let me see if I can find it." I motioned her to the counter.

Going behind it, I crouched and shuffled around until I found it. The book was a black hardcover with fancy red font with a red ribbon tied around it. Placing it on the counter, she stared at it with a look of hunger.

"Here you go. That's twenty lien," I said lightly patted the book.

She shook her head to break from her daze, her cheeks still pink from embarrassment. She gave me the money and I gave her the book. She turned and started to leave.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you?" I asked after her.

She stopped, turned and raised her eyebrow.

"Why do you want to know?"

I blinked and realized that I asked something very stupid. I smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of my head.

"I read a book like this before and if I'm being honest, it's kinda weird."

"No, it's not. It revolves around the two lovers expressing their true inner emotions through sex. Sounds to me you're more of a prude."

My face blanched at the retort and I raised my hands.

"I-I'm not a prude! I'm sorry, y-you seem to be older than you look." She raised her eyebrows a bit more. "Never mind. Just forget it."

I turned and started to go to the loft.

"Fifteen," Blake spoke up.

"Hmm?" I turned and looked at her.

She looked at me again, her yellow eyes staring at me.

"I'm fifteen, since you asked," she repeated calmly.

I nodded again. It would only make sense for her to be pretty reserved since that was her character from the show. Didn't matter who it was at the start, she was distant and didn't open up to anybody until she joined Ruby, Weiss and Yang during the initiation.

"Why did you want to know?" Blake asked.

I only shook her head to try and dismiss it as unimportant, but she did not look convinced in the slightest.

"I-I already told you," I offered back.

She shook her head.

"I know when a person is lying or not. So, go ahead and spill. Why do you really want to know?"

Damn, how do I respond? How the fuck do I respond to that? My determination to give her a quick answer caused me to panic and spit out the first thing that came to mind.

...

"You're just really cute."

My face was on fire again as I struggled to maintain eye contact with the girl in front of me. If anything, she looked a mix of annoyed and amused with my response. A ghost of a smirk danced on her lips before they thinned into a line. She blinked and stared at me for a while before she sighed and opened her book to the first page.

"You're not my type. Besides, I'm already with someone," she said before turning on her heel.

Her retort to me was expected, but it kind of hurt to hear those words. Rejection sucked, but at least she was straightforward with her answer and not flaky as hell like other girls were. I could respect that.

Her clicking heels came to a stop just shy of the door and I could see her glance back at me briefly.

"Thank you for your help," she said before exiting the store.

The door closed behind her and the bell rang again. Her long hair vanished from view as she walked by the window and into the crowded street.

I stared at the door for a while before realizing what I just said.

...

"FUUUUUUCCCKKKK!" I yelled before laying my head down on the counter.

Why did I have to go say that to her? She must see me as a complete idiot!

I heard fast footsteps coming down.

"Alex, you ok?" Tukson's voice came from behind me.

I looked back and saw him staring back with a raised brow. His face looked like a parent heard their child get seriously hurt.

"Yeah, I'm fine. A box fell on my foot is all," I gave him my prepared excuse.

He looked at me for a long moment before shaking his head with a smirk. His eyes briefly looked at my feet, but he nodded before going back upstairs to sleep once more. He knew I was lying, but he didn't press the issue.

I just sighed and sat back down, waiting for time go by.

* * *

"Keep it up kid!" Jade shouted as I kept sparring with both Gem and Sapphire.

My hand-to-hand combat was getting batter. I kept blocking or dodging, but landing a jab or two everyone now and then.

I loved it, cursed it, hated it, but loved it.

I dodged a right cross from Gem and elbowed him in the jaw. Sapphire came again with a stick, but I dodged. I grabbed her neck and kneed her in the stomach, but I ended up betting hit in the back of the head with a stick from Gem.

"What did I tell you, kid?" Jade asked as they stood back and I got up.

"Always expect the unexpected." I grumbled.

"Good. We're done for today. Come by again tomorrow, same time."

I nodded as they turned and left.

"Alex, you coming?" Tukson asked as he walked over.

"No, actually. I'm gonna train a bit more if you don't mind." I looked back at him

He nodded.

"Ok, I'll be at the car. Don't take too long."

He turned and walked back to the car. I looked around the small valley where I was. The wind made it feel so peaceful. So relaxing.

I stretched a bit before going over to a tree and started to use it as a punching bag. Not hard enough to break bone, but enough to make an impact.

I kept going at it for a while, just punching, kicking, weaving, etc. Me just being at peace with myself.

"Hey, Perv!"

I turned and saw Sapphire leaning against the tree.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Just thought you could use some extra training. I keep noticing that you tend to drop your guard when throwing your left hook," she said as she got into her stance.

I nodded before getting into mine.

She threw a punch, but I blocked and threw a right hook. She countered by ducking and hitting me with a right body hook. I grabbed her and kneed her in the stomach. She fell and coughed. I activated my aura a tiny bit.

"Not bad." She strighted herself.

I smiled, but she threw a wheel kick at my face. I weaved, but she tackled me to the ground. I gasped for air as she threw a punch and hit my face.

I blocked another punch and threw her off before she could throw another punch. She tried to rear neck choke me, but I threw her off and she landed on her back.

We got up and before we could spar, we heard growling coming from the woods. Sapphire went wide eyed and reached for a gun behind her back. It looked like a revolver, but the barrel was a bit shorter and under the barrel was a sort of blade.

The growling got louder and louder. Sapphire kept moving back and so did I. Suddenly, I saw in the darkness of the woods were a pair of red, glowing eyes.

Grimm.

"I got this. Stay here," Before she could act, the Grimm pounced on her.

It was one of those Grimm dogs.

Beowolves.

Before the Grimm could kill her, I kicked it off. Surprisingly, it was very light. Maybe a baby. She got up and shot it, killing it instantly. It disappeared as well, no trace of it was left behind.

"Damn, we gotta' go. More are probably nearby." She said as she got up and dusted herself off.

She looked at me and smiled.

"Thanks for the save," she said.

I smiled back at her. "No problem."

But, Karma wants to be a bitch today and a Grimm shot from the woods towards me. But before it landed, she shot it down.

"Now we're even." She tucked her gun away.

"HEY, IS EVERYTHING OK?"

We turned and saw Tukson, Gem and Jade running towards us with their weapons.

"Yeah, we're good. Mr. Gung-Ho here…" She nudged me. "Helped me out. Looks like the training is starting to pay off."

"Really, kid? Nice save. Maybe you can get a piece of Sapphire's ass later?" Gem grinned back and raised his eyebrows suggestively.

I blushed immediately and Sapphire punched him in the face.

"Go home, kid. We'll talk more tomorrow, okay?"

We all said out goodbyes and went our separate ways.

"You did good, son. You did good," Tukson said as we got back in the truck to drive home.

I looked out the window for a while, watching the trees going by until something hit me.

"...did you call me son?" I asked.

His eyes flicked over to me before returning to the road. He stayed silent for a couple of seconds before nodding with a light grunt. A small smile was on his face.

"Yeah, I did. If you don't want me to, it's fine," he replied.

I shook my head.

"No, it's cool. But, why did you call me that?" I answered back, still soaking his words in.

He shook his head.

"You're a kid who had to deal with a lot in a short time. I was there for you and I want to be there for you, kid. You need someone in this world, and it might as well be me."

I stared at him before smiling and looking back out the window.

"So, what are you cooking tonight, Pop?"

* * *

Hey Guys, M4 again. I got great news. In a few days is...MY BIRTHDAY! So to mark that special occasion, I will be uploading a sequel for my fanfic, A Marine and Pony Adventure since many people have been requesting it. As always, Leave a like, review, and a subscription for more. LATERS!


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